Beaten
by AllTimeLow23
Summary: Nathan and Haley have been best friends since they were three. Now, 15 years later, Haley is in an abusive relationship. Will Nathan be able to save her? Will they tell each other their true feelings? Or will something happen that will ruin everything?
1. Prologue

Major Naley! Nathan and Haley have been friends since they were three years old. Now, 15 years later, Haley is in an abusive relationship and Nathan knows. Will he be able to help her? Will they finally tell each other their true feelings? Or will something happen that could ruin everything?

Nathan Scott: Son of Deb and Dan Scott. He had a great childhood and is close with both of his parents. He has been Haley's best friend since they were three and is secretly in love with her. Nathan is also very close with his brother, Lucas Scott.

Haley James: Daughter of Lydia and Jimmy James. She has had a rough childhood. Her parents are never around. She has been Nathan's best friend since they were three and is secretly in love with him. Haley has been in an abusive relationship with John for almost a year and Nathan is the only one who knows.

Lucas Scott: Son of Deb and Dan Scott. He is 21 years old and very close with his brother. He is married to Brooke Davis, who is also 21. They are going to UNC, so they aren't very far away.

Brooke Scott: Daughter of Victoria and Keith Davis, who she hasn't seen in years. She is married to Lucas Scott.

Deb and Dan Scott: They are good parents in my story and want Nathan and Haley to get together. They love Haley like a daughter.

Other Characters and couples haven't been decided yet, but Peyton will most likely be in it. If you want others let me know! Also, it will be rated T for language and some later chapters, so don't read it if you don't like that.

This will be my first fan fiction, so let me know If you think I should post it or not! 

I own nothing! However, I would absolutely LOVE to own James Lafferty!!


	2. Chapter 1

Okay, here's the first chapter! Let me know what you think!

Thanks to CrazyCandyGirl illiterate23 Colviper8 and naley3 for commenting! And illiterate23, thanks for offering to be my beta! I'll see how the first chapter goes and let you know! And I so agree! Naley all the way!

Ch.1

I took off for the Rivercourt, hoping to get in some practice for the game against Pontiac next week, but when I got there I could see two shadows that appeared to be fighting. As I got closer, I could see that it was Haley and her boyfriend John, who seemed to be angry. I tensed up. I had seen what John had done to Haley when he got upset, and it wasn't pretty.

I listened in on their conversation, wanting to kill John for hurting Haley. However, for some reason she had begged me to promise not to tell anyone what John did to her, and for some reason, whenever I looked into those beautiful chocolate eyes of hers, I always gave in. I knew it was stupid and IS stupid, but hey I'm 18 years old. How the hell am I supposed to know what to do in a situation like this? So, I deal with it the only way I know how. Whenever Haley is hurt, I take her to my house and take care of her. I made her promise that she would call me if he hurt her, no matter what time it was.

As I listened in, I could hear that John was mad at Haley for talking to and hugging some guy she was tutoring.

"John, please! I was just tutoring him and he got a good grade! It was nothing!" Haley was pleading with him frantically, and it looked like he had already hit her a few times. She was lying on the ground in the fetal position hugging her arm to her and holding her face.

"Don't tell me what I saw you whore! Are you into him?"

"NO! Please John you have to trust me!"

Ignoring her, John continued. "You know that he could never even like you! You're just a selfish, slutty bitch! Without me, you would have no one! You would be no one!" With that said, he kicked her in the stomach again.

It took all of my strength not to run over there and beat him to death.

Finally, after pulling her up by her hair, kicking and hitting her a few more times, and throwing her back down to the ground, he left. I rushed over to her beaten figure.

"Haley! Are you okay? Come on! Please, Haley! Open your eyes! Come on, Hales!" She wasn't responding, but, like so many other times that John had beaten her, what else was new. I carefully picked her up and carried her back to my house, being careful not to let my parents see her. They loved Haley and treated her like their own daughter since her parents never really seemed to care what happened to her. They would freak out if they knew what was going on and would most likely call the police. I would have loved to have someone help me out and do something about it, but I couldn't do that to Haley. John would freak out on her even more, and I couldn't handle knowing that I was the cause of the pain he inflicted upon her. When I found out what John was doing to her and confronted him, he knocked her unconscious and nearly put her in a coma.

I finally got her up to my room and gently laid her on my bed. Then, I quickly undressed her and put her into my T-shirt. God, even with all of the bruises, she still looks like an angel. I love her so much. I just wish I had gotten up the courage to ask her out before John. I was just so worried that it would ruin our friendship. I would have risked everything if it meant that Haley and John never would have met, though.

I kissed her forehead and brushed the hair off of her tear-stained face.

"Night, Hales. I love you." I whispered then watched her sleep until I fell asleep.

Sorry if that sucked. It's my first fanfic. But hey, that was just the first chapter to kind of show you what's happening and why Nathan hasn't told anyone. Good? Bad? Let me know! Also, if you have any suggestions…


	3. Chapter 2

Thanks for the amazing reviews! And don't worry, I agree it started out a little slow, but I promise that it will get better!

Ch. 2

The next morning, Nathan woke up to his alarm beeping extremely loud.

"Shit!" He swore as he quickly yet carefully reached over Haley to turn it off. As he looked down at her, he guessed she was having a dream about John. She was crying and whimpering. He had tried before, but there was no point. When Haley had these dreams, you couldn't wake her up. It was impossible.

Nathan did the only thing he could. He pulled her close to his body and hugged her tightly to his chest. His touch seemed to relax her a little and he inwardly smirked in his head. The smirk quickly disappeared though when he remembered why Haley was here in the first place. God, if only he had gotten over his fear and asked her out before John. Then Haley would be with someone who truly loved and cared for her. She would have someone who would always protect her and would never ever hurt her.

He was pulled out of his thoughts as Haley slowly stirred in his arms. He looked down and saw her trying to open her eyes, but the right one seemed to be swollen shut.

Finally she managed to get her eyes open and wake up. Thank God! Nathan thought to himself.

"Hey Hales. How are you doing?" He asked, still keeping her safely in his arms.

Haley's only response was to groan and bury her head deeper into Nathan's chest. God, if only she had told Nathan how she felt before agreeing to go out with John. Her life would be so much better right now.

"Hales?" Nathan tried again when she didn't answer him.

"Yeah, sorry," she said. "What happened last night?"

This wasn't the first morning she had woken up with no recollection of what John had done to her the previous night. She probably has another concussion, Nathan thought. It wouldn't be the first time that had happened either, and Nathan had seen her take some pretty harsh blows to the head the night before.

"What's the last thing you remember, Hales?" He asked her softly.

"Having pizza with you and then heading over to the Rivercourt to meet John."

"Well, Hales, when I got there, John was pretty far into his beating with you. It's no wonder you forgot. You took quite the hits to the head." He said, obviously upset and concerned for her.

"Look, Nathan, I probably deserved it anyway. Besides, I'm sure he won't do it again."

"Hales! Listen to yourself. You know that's not true. You have been saying that for months now. First of all, there is no way you deserve any of the hell he has been putting you through! Second of all, you know he's not gonna stop! Please, Hales, I know I promised I wouldn't, but you have to let me tell someone! This has to stop. I can't lose you!"

"Nathan you're not going to lose me! And I already told you that you can't tell anyone! Please! Please don't." She said, starting to cry.

Seeing her like this broke my heart. "Hey! Please don't cry!" I said, grabbing her and hugging her to my chest once again. "Seriously though Hales, whatever he has over you can't be worse than this!" I said, eyeing the cuts and bruises covering her body.

Haley seemed to get lost in thought remembering John's threat to her the first time he hit her.

"You stupid bitch!" John yelled as he smacked Haley hard across the face.

She stumbled backwards. She knew that John had a horrible temper, but she never imagined that he would hit her.

"I have to go!" She said, trying to get past him and leave.

"Wait!" He yelled, roughly grabbing her arm and pulling her back to face him. "You tell anyone about this, and your little friend Nathan will pay! I think we both know how powerful and rich I am! You tell, and I'll make certain that Nathan Scott gets what's coming to him. He'll be gone, and there won't be a trace of evidence of what has happened to him."

At this point, Haley had a steady stream of tears rolling down her face. She just nodded okay and then ran home to hide in her bed.

"Haley? Are you okay?" Nathan asked as he noticed her grow visibly paler and saw the tears welling up in her eyes.

"Yeah, I'm just going to go to the bathroom and take a shower. Can I just get ready for school here?"

"Of course, you always can, but are you sure you should go to school? I'm worried about you."

"I have to go Nathan. If I don't, John will… never mind." She said, trailing off at the end.

"Hales!"

"Look, I'll be fine okay?" As she went to get off of the bed though, a sharp pang shot through her head and she fell back down in pain. Yep, she definitely had another concussion.

I know these chapters are pretty short, but I plan to update a couple times a week! So, how is it??


	4. Chapter 3

Ch.3

Thanks for the reviews! And othroxmysoxoff, thanks so much, you made my day! J

After a lot of help from Nathan, Haley's bruises were as covered as they could be and they were headed off to school.

"Haley, I know you said you have to go to school, and I know you're lying and saying you're fine when you're not, but please tell me you'll come find me if you get even the slightest bit dizzy or nauseous."

"I promise, Nate." She said softly, continuing to think while staring out the window. She so badly wished that she was dating Nathan right now and that John didn't even exist, but after all the mental abuse from John, she was starting to believe that she really was just a worthless human being who no one would ever want to be with. She was also starting to believe that she was a bad girlfriend and had deserved the beatings. God, she needed to be better.

Meanwhile, on the driver's side of the car, Nathan was trying not to let it show just how furious he was with John. He wanted to kill him. How could anyone hurt Haley? She was the sweetest and most beautiful person ever! However, thanks to John, she was becoming more and more self-conscious and self deprecating. He hated it. He just wanted his amazing, confident, sarcastic friend back. He couldn't take it anymore.

Soon, they pulled up to school and, coincidently, John just happened to be waiting for Haley. One thing was for sure, he was not going to be happy about her riding to school with Nathan. John was a very jealous guy, and he happened to be very envious of Nathan always being around Haley. To him, they just happened to be too friendly, but he planned to put a stop to that soon, one way or another.

Nathan watched as Haley tried to hold back her tears and be strong in front of John. Right now, he wanted nothing more than to just take her in his arms and hold her close, but he knew that would just add reasons for John to beat her later. One thing was for sure though; he was not going to leave Haley alone with John today. He had promised Haley that he would stay away from John and let her handle it (once again a stupid promise), but, at least for today, he couldn't leave them alone together.

Slowly, Haley started to get out of the car and head up to John.

"Finally! What took you so long? I told you to meet me out here at 8, and now its 8:15!" John yelled angrily.

"I'm sorry! I didn't know you told me that."

"Oh, yeah, because I'm sure that the 10 voicemails I left last night weren't enough of a reminder!"

Sure enough, when Haley pulled her phone out, there were 10 missed calls from John. Shit! She thought inwardly. Yep, she was definitely going to pay for that later.

"Are you going to answer me?! What, are you just too tired from all the action you got from your boy toy over here last night?" With that, John moved to slap her, but Nathan intervened.

"I'd think twice about hurting her again." He said in a low voice. Sure he remembered his promise to Haley, but whenever he saw her after she was beaten, it just got harder and harder to control himself. One of these days, he knew that he was going to snap.

"What are you going to do about it Scott? Come on, Haley!" He grabbed her wrist.

"Hales, you don't have to go with him. I'll walk you to class." Nathan said while placing his hand on her lower back. She leaned into his touch.

"Haley! You better come, or something drastic just might happen." John had that evil glint in his eyes, and Haley knew what that meant.

"No! Just please… Let's go, John."

"Hales!" Nathan looked scared for her.

"I'm sorry!" She mouthed before being dragged away.

"Oh, and Scott?"

Nathan just glared at him.

"Stay the hell away from Haley, or she'll pay the price." John walked away, once again dragging Haley by her wrist as she struggled to keep up.

Dammit! Nathan knew he needed to do something, but what? He couldn't risk hurting Haley in the process, he just wouldn't.

Deciding that there was nothing he could do at the moment, since he had no idea where Haley and John had gone, Nathan went off to history. However, about 15 minutes into class, his cell phone started to vibrate in his pocket. Normally he would've ignored it, seeing as how he was in class, but looking down, he saw Haley's name flash on his screen. He raised his hand.

"May I be excused?"

"Mr. Scott, can it wait a minute? We're in the middle of class!"

"Please! It's an emergency."

Hearing the urgency in his voice, the teacher decided to let him go this time, sensing that something must have been really bothering him.

"Okay."

Nathan ran out the door as fast as he could and answered his phone.

"Hales, where are you? Are you okay?"

"Nate," she was speaking softly. "Can you come get me?"

"Of course! Where are you?"

"The alley behind the school."

"I'll be right there."

So? Good? Bad? Any suggestions? Let me know!


	5. Chapter 4

Ch.4

When Nathan got to the alley, he nearly lost it. His beautiful, kind, caring Haley was laying on the ground covered in even more cuts and bruises. She had a huge gash on her forehead. Seeing this, Nathan knew that the only way to end it was to break his promise to Haley. He knew what he had to do. First, he was going to take Haley to his house and clean her up because he knew that he wouldn't be able to think straight until Haley was okay. Then, he was going to beat John for putting Haley through all of this. Right now, however, he needed to talk to Haley and help her.

"Hales, what the hell happened?"

"John…God, he was just so angry, and he…" She started crying.

Nathan knelt down and took Haley in his arms. He held her tight, never wanting to let go. Once her crying slowed down, he started asking her questions again.

"How did you get the gash on your forehead?"

"Well, when we got here John immediately started freaking out. He was slapping, kicking, and punching so much that I just went limp. Then, all of the sudden, he whipped me across the way by my arm and I hit the corner of the dumpster."

"Okay, well obviously your head's hurt pretty bad, but how's your arm?"

"It hurts really bad, but I don't think it's broken."

"Well, I'm going to take you back to my house, okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Nathan, for everything you've done for me. I don't deserve a friend like you."

Hearing this broke Nathan's heart. He just nodded, knowing that soon he was going to take care of the person who made all of this happen.

Nathan gently lifted her off of the ground and carried her to his car. On the way back to his house, Haley had fallen asleep. He thought it would be safe to just carry Haley right in the house. Both of his parents were at work, but he forgot that Lucas and Brooke had no classes that day and were coming for the weekend. So, when the front door opened, Brooke just had to know who it was.

She stopped as soon as she rounded the corner and immediately freaked out because of Haley's appearance. "Lucas!" She screeched. Luckily, Haley was a pretty deep sleeper.

"What?" He yelled back, but, just like Brooke, stopped as he saw Haley. Nathan signaled that he was going to take Haley upstairs and that he would be right back down. He slowly cleaned her cuts, and bandaged up her forehead before tucking her into his bed, kissing the top of her head and walking back downstairs. He knew Lucas and Brooke were going to freak out on him, and after what had just happened, he was not looking forward to it. Besides, he had other things to do, like find John. He barely made it to the kitchen before being attacked.

"Nathan, do you want to explain what the hell that was? What happened to Haley?" Lucas asked.

"It's a really long story. Trust me. Let's just say that it won't ever happen again."

"Oh my god, Nathan! Did you do that to her?" Brooke screamed.

Nathan took a deep breath, trying to cool his temper and not bite Brooke's head off for ever thinking that he could do such a thing to Haley. Everyone but Haley could see how in love with her he was, and how he would always protect her.

"No. It was her boyfriend, but you can't tell her that I told you anything, okay? She made me promise not to tell anyone."

"Oh, so you're just going to sit here and watch the girl you love get the shit beaten out of her?"

"No! I'm going to take care of it! Just, God!" All of Nathan's emotions from the past few months were finally catching up with him. All of the anger, confusion, and fear that he had failed Haley came crashing down on him.

Lucas walked over and put his arm around his brother. "Listen, Nate. I know it's hard, and I know that you don't want to break your promise to Haley, but you have to do something. You have to tell someone. If you don't, it's just going to get worse."

Suddenly, Nathan's temper got the best of him and he took off out the door.

"Nate! Where are you going?" Lucas yelled out the door with Brooke standing beside him.

"To do what I should have done a long time ago." Nathan said to himself without looking back.

I personally liked that chapter, but let me know what you think!! And yes, the next chapter will be Nathan's confrontation with John that you have been waiting for. It will probably be up tomorrow because I already have the next few chapters written. Please review. I'd love to know what you think!


	6. Chapter 5

Ch.5

Okay, so here's the part you have all been waiting for! I hope you like it!

As Nathan headed back to the school to find John, he got angrier and angrier. John just better hope he didn't find him.

Meanwhile, at his house, Haley had just woken up alone. "Nathan?" She called out quietly. When he didn't answer, she decided to go look for him. When she got up, she found a pair of Nathan's basketball shorts and a t-shirt laying out for her. She put them on and headed downstairs.

When she walked into the kitchen, she was surprised to find Lucas and Brooke instead of Nathan. They both immediately turned to look at her, and Brooke had tears in her eyes. Great! She thought. Although she did like Brooke and considered Lucas to be like a brother, this was still really embarrassing for her. She didn't want anyone treating her differently or feeling sorry for her, and by the looks of it, that's exactly what Lucas and Brooke were going to do.

"Hi." Haley said shakily.

"Oh my god, Hales, come here!" Lucas pulled her in tightly for a hug. Brooke did the same right after.

"How are you feeling? Do you need anything?"

"Umm… no, I'm good thanks."

"Are you sure?"

"You guys, relax. I'm not dying here." Haley said, trying to get them to stop acting like this.

Brooke and Lucas both laughed a little, slightly uncomfortable.

"So, where's Nathan at? Did he go back to school? I really should get back to."

"Haley! Are you crazy? You can't go back to school! What about your boyfriend?" Remembering how Nathan told them not to tell Haley they knew, Lucas instantly regretted his words.

"What? Nate told you?" Haley broke down and started crying.

"Haley, I…"

"Oh god. He wasn't supposed to tell anyone!" Haley sobbed. If John found out that more people knew, she was sure that he would carry out his threat to hurt Nathan. She couldn't let that happen. All of this was her fault to begin with. She should have never given in and told Nathan about John. He was never supposed to be a part of this. And now, because of her, something bad was going to happen. She could feel it. Haley knew that she had to find Nathan, now.

"Where is Nathan, Luke?"

"I don't know. He said that he was going to take care of something he should have done a long time ago, and then he left."

"I have to go you guys." Haley said, getting up to leave. She was in so much pain from earlier though, that she was hobbling really slowly.

"Haley, I really don't think that's a good idea." Brooke said, trying to get Haley to stay. She knew that if they let Haley leave and she got hurt again, Nathan would be pissed.

"I'm sorry, but it's my problem, and I have to take care of it." Haley finally made it to the door and opened it up.

"John!" Nathan yelled, rage evident in his voice. He saw John headed back to the alley. No doubt going back for a round two with Haley.

"What do you want, Scott? Didn't I tell you to stay away?" He continued towards the alley.

"She's not back there!"

John turned around, getting angry with Nathan.

"She called me to come get her because her ass of a boyfriend decided to beat the crap out of her…Again!"

"Stay out of this, Scott! This is between me and Haley! Last I remember, you weren't a part of this relationship!"

What the hell? Is that what you call this? A relationship? Last I remember, a relationship was supposed to be between two people who care for each other and love each other! Not getting beat up by your supposed boyfriend!" Nathan yelled. He was even angrier now, if that was possible.

"Mind your own business! Haley's just a worthless, fat whore anyways! I don't know why I bother with a worthless piece of shit like that!"

With that, Nathan's fist connected with John's jaw. He kept swinging. Blow after blow smacking John anywhere he could reach, his arms, face, stomach. Realizing what was happening, John went to punch Nathan. Nathan was too quick however and twisted his arm backwards before throwing another punch into his face. After a few more hits, Nathan got up and kicked John in the stomach.

"Doesn't feel good does it?" Nathan walked away, feeling the slightest bit better after putting all of his anger into beating John.

"This isn't over, Scott! Haley will never leave me! If she does, there will be hell to pay!"

Nathan just laughed and headed back to his house.

As Haley whipped open the door, tears flowing down her face, she ran into something, or rather, someone. She looked up and saw Nathan looking at her, obviously concerned.

"Hales, are you okay? What's wrong?" He asked, pulling her into his chest.

"Nathan, what did you do?"

"I took care of what I should have done all along. Trust me, John won't come near you again. I promise!"

This only caused Haley to cry harder, knowing that John wouldn't stop until Nathan, herself, or both of them were dead.

Nathan once again picked her up and carried her to his room. He had to know why Haley was so upset. He took care of John, so she shouldn't be scared of that anymore.

However, back in the alley, John had an evil smirk on his face. "You just wait, Scott. If I can't have Haley, no one will."

So what did you think? I hope I didn't disappoint you cause I know a lot of you have been waiting for this all along! Please review!!


	7. Chapter 6

WOW! Thanks for the amazing reviews! They really made me wanna keep on writing! I'm glad you like the story! Sorry for the short chapters, but I am updating every day, so please stick with me!!

Ch. 6

After finally getting Haley to calm down, Nathan told her everything that happened between him and John. He didn't want to keep anything from her.

"Nathan, you shouldn't have done that! You could have gotten really hurt! Are you sure you're okay?"

Nathan smiled. That was just like Haley to be concerned about him when she was covered in cuts and bruises and he didn't have so much as a scratch. "Hales, I'm fine! Okay? I had to do it. I had to stop him. I couldn't stand to see you hurt. Believe me, I beat John up pretty good, but he deserves so much worse. You should really tell the police and get John locked up."

"Nathan, I can't. John is already pissed, and if I send the cops after him it will just make things worse."

"Haley, you have to. Come on, I will be right there with you the whole time. I promised you that John won't ever hurt you again and I'm going to keep that promise. I will always protect you, Hales. Always and Forever."

"I know you will, Nathan, and I love you for that, but"

Before Haley could continue her rant, Nathan cut her off. "What did you say?" He asked shocked.

"What do you mean?" She sounded nervous.

"You love me?"

"No … Well, yes! I mean, of course I love you, you're my best friend, and you have been there for me since we were three and you…"

Without warning, Nathan leaned over and kissed her. Surprisingly, Haley kissed him back, so he deepened the kiss. Haley moaned into his mouth and he smirked. When air became an issue, they slowly broke apart.

"Wow, that was…"

"Incredible." Nathan finished for her.

"Yeah."

"Oh, and Haley?" She lifted her head to look at him.

"I love you too. I always have." Haley blushed and he leaned down and placed another soft kiss on her lips.

"So does this mean that I can call you my boyfriend?" Haley asked shyly.

Nathan's face lit up as he eagerly responded. "I was hoping you would say that, Hales. I want nothing more than to have you as my girlfriend! I've wanted us to be together for years."

At this, it was Haley's turn to smile, and she leaned up and kissed Nathan again.

After a long make out session, Haley lay contently in Nathan's strong, protective arms. Neither of them had ever felt happier. After years of heartache and suffering, they finally had their true loves.

Nathan was the one to break the comfortable silence. "So, I was thinking."

"Oh my god! That's a shocker!" Haley laughed.

"Ha Ha!" Nathan deadpanned. "You should move in here until John is in prison. I just don't want you being alone."

"Nathan that would be great, but what are your parent's going to say?"

"Well, they will most likely let you. They are always going on and on about how you are the daughter that they never had, and how they would trade me for you in a heartbeat. It's kind of depressing actually."

Haley laughed at that.

"They are going to be so happy that we are finally together. I'm pretty sure that they have been planning our wedding since the first day we met at the park when we were three. They most likely won't let you stay in my room and will put you in the guestroom, but I can still sneak over there."

Once again, Haley laughed, amused at Nathan's rambling. "Wow! That would be great! Thanks, Nathan."

"So you're going to do it?"

"Yeah! I just have to go back to my house and get some clothes and stuff, so I'll be right back okay?"

"Umm… no."

"What? You're going to deprive me of going to get clothes? Come on, Nate, that's a little harsh. As comfy as your clothes are, I think I'm gonna need some of my own stuff, too."

"Haley, you are not going out there alone. What if John finds you?"

"Please, he's probably still lying in the alley! Besides, my house is like five blocks away. I'll be fine."

"Hales, I have to go! I will never forgive myself if something happens to you!"

"Nate, I'll be back in like twenty minutes. You go call your parents and make sure this is okay, and I'll call you when I get to my house to let you know I'm okay! Alright?"

"No, Hales. I'll call my parents now, and then we will both go to your house." Nathan said as he got off the bed and grabbed his cell. "I'll be right back. You can go wait for me in the kitchen. I'm sure Brooke will keep you entertained with something." He said, laughing.

In the kitchen, Brooke and Lucas were discussing what was going to happen with Nathan and Haley when she walked in.

"Hey guys!" She said happily, which surprised both Lucas and Brooke, because the last time they saw her, Nathan was carrying her upstairs and she was sobbing.

"Well, you sound happy. What's going on?" Lucas asked.

"Let's just say that I have a new boyfriend."

Before Lucas could respond, Brooke started screaming and pulled Haley into a hug. "Oh my god, Naley is finally together?"

Haley and Lucas both stared at each other, trying to see if the other understood. When they realized that neither of them had a clue, Haley told Lucas, "I'll take this one." Then she turned to Brooke. "Naley?"

"Duh! Nathan plus Haley equals Naley!" Brooke responded as if it were the most obvious thing ever. "So, are you? Together?"

"Yeah." Haley said, smiling brightly.

"So you guys finally admitted you were in love with each other?" Lucas asked, laughing.

"Yeah, I can't believe it!"

"So are you going to come over for dinner tonight then? Mom and Dad are going to be ecstatic."

"Actually, I'm going to move in. Nathan talked me into it."

"Wow! You guys move quickly. It took me three months for Broody over here to even ask me out on a date and you two are already sharing a bed?"

"No, I'm going to sleep in the guest room, Brooke. We aren't going to be sleeping together already." Haley laughed at Brooke's assumption.

Noticing that it was starting to get dark, Haley decided to head over to her house. She knew Nathan would be ticked, but come on. She had to get clothes before tomorrow, and soon Deb and Dan would be home, and then they would eat. It was just easier to go now.

She told Brooke and Lucas where she was going, and they agreed to tell Nathan that she would call him to let him know that she got there safe, not knowing that he had told Haley to wait for him.

She got to her house in about ten minutes and called Nathan. He wasn't happy, but after promising to make it up to him later in any way he wanted, she hung up and finished packing up her stuff. She thought about calling her parents to let them know where she would be, but they hadn't called in six months, so they wouldn't really care. Haley hated that her parents didn't care for her, but at least she had Nathan, who would always take care of her.

Haley gathered up her stuff and was about to head back to Nathan's, but when she opened the door, she saw the face of the man she hoped she would never have to see again.

"Hello, Haley! Did you really think it would be this easy to get away from me? No consequences?"

Haley could feel the tears building up in her eyes. "John, I…"

Suddenly, she felt a pinch in her arm and everything went black.

Wow, this chapter took me a while to write! Please review! I'd love to know what you think so far! And if there are any suggestions, let me know!!


	8. Chapter 7

**Okay, so this chapter is a lot longer than my others! YAY! Sorry this update is a little late! I 've been studying because tommorow I have my permit test! (Don't worry, i'll let you know when I'm on the road! haha) So, I hope you like the chapter! **

Ch.7

Deb and Dan ran through the door, and Deb practically tackled Nathan when she saw him.

"So it's true? You and Haley are finally together?" She asked, not even trying to contain her excitement.

"Yeah, we're together now." Nathan couldn't keep the smile off of his face. He was finally getting his dream of being with Haley. He had saved her from John, and now they could be together.

"Well, where is she?" Dan looked around as he pulled Nathan in for a hug. "You didn't scare her away already I hope."

"No, she went to her house to get some of her stuff."

"Stuff for what?" Deb asked curiously. When Nathan had called them, they were both busy, so he hadn't had time to ask them if Haley could stay.

Knowing that it was best to tell them the truth, Nathan had his parents sit down. He proceeded to tell them the whole story about John, how he beat him up, and how he wanted Haley to stay here, at least until John was in prison.

By the end, Deb was crying and Dan looked like he had tears in his eyes. They had known Haley since she was three and treated her as if she was their daughter. This was tough to hear. They both agreed that Haley should stay; knowing that Haley's parents probably wouldn't even care if they heard. They both loved that Haley and Nathan were together after all of these years, but it was agreed that Haley would stay in the guest room.

"So, how much longer do you think she'll be?" Deb asked. She really wanted to talk to Haley.

Nathan looked down at his watch. "She should be here any minute now." Noticing that it was getting dark out, though, Nathan started to worry about her.

Half an hour later, when Haley still wasn't back, Nathan went into full on panic mode. He called her house five times with no luck, and after trying her cell phone once, he realized that she had left it in his room.

"I have to go get her! Who knows what's going on! What if John got her on her way back over?!" He took off out the door, but Dan stopped him.

"Nathan, it's getting pretty dark, and you are in no state to drive."

Nathan cut him off before he could finish. "Dad!"

"Come on. I'll drive."

They took off out the door and rushed to Haley's. Deb, Lucas, and Brooke decided to wait at the house, just in case she called.

When Dan and Nathan turned onto Haley's street, Nathan saw John's truck turning at the other corner, obviously leaving Haley's house. Nathan knew that he probably heard all of his voicemails and decided to leave before he got there.

"Dad! That's John's truck up there!" Oh god, he promised Haley that John would never hurt her again! He had to get to Haley as soon as possible. John had probably taken his aggression from Nathan beating him out on Haley.

Nathan didn't even wait for his dad to pull into the driveway before he jumped out, and ran into the house. When he got in there, his heart stopped. There was blood everywhere. Things were knocked off tables, and everything was messed up.

He saw blood leading up the stairs and into Haley's room. He ran up the stairs with Dan close behind him. When he got into her room, it was even worse than he expected. There wasn't a single part of her that wasn't bloody or bruised. He rushed over to her and grabbed her hand.

"Haley hang on! Please stay with me!" He yelled as Dan dialed 911.

The next hour was a blur. He remembered the ambulance getting there, a paramedic saying something about a weak pulse, his dad driving him to the hospital and calling to tell Deb, and then just sitting in a waiting room.

Apparently, Haley was in surgery and it didn't look good. Nathan was numb. He couldn't cry, he couldn't be furious with John, at least not now. His body just didn't feel anything. All he saw in his mind were flashes of Haley. He saw them playing at the park, their first day of kindergarten when they were inseparable, their first day of high school, and when Haley became his girlfriend a few hours earlier. The images always ended the same way, though. They always ended with Haley's body crumpled on the floor in her room. He had failed to protect her. This was all his fault.

Deb, Lucas, and Brooke finally arrived. Deb tried to talk to Nathan, but he didn't even acknowledge it. He was gone.

They all knew that nothing would ever be the same if Haley died. If she went, Nathan would go with her. He would still be there physically, but emotionally and spiritually, he would die too.

Lucas finally went to talk to Nathan. Sensing what his brother was feeling, he knew what he had to say.

"It's not your fault, Nate. Everyone knows that. Haley doesn't blame you. She knows that you would do anything and everything to protect her."

Nathan didn't react how Lucas thought he would, though.

"But I couldn't protect her could I?" He yelled. The nurse looked up and quickly looked away. They had seen Haley wheeled in and couldn't have felt worse for her friends and family.

"Nate…"

"No, Lucas! I promised her that I would always, always protect her. Now, I'm her boyfriend for a couple of hours, and she is fighting for her life because I couldn't save her!" Lucas just let Nathan go, knowing that he had to let his emotions out.

"I can't lose her! She is everything to me! She means everything to me! She is my whole world! If I lose her…" Nathan couldn't even finish his sentence before he broke down.

After another hour had passed, the doctor finally came out. "Who's here for Haley James?"

They all stood up, and Nathan quickly asked, "Is she going to be okay?"

The doctor noticed Nathan's tearstained face and felt sorry for the young boy. "She made it through the surgery, but she is in critical condition. Are you guys family?"

Knowing that they would only give information to family, Dan quickly spoke up. "She's our daughter." He said. Deb just cried.

"Okay. Well, her right leg is spirally fractured, and her left arm was broken in two spots and the bone was protruding through the skin. She also has three broken ribs, a great deal of internal bleeding, and due to complications, we had to remove her spleen." Since Dan had told the doctor everything Nathan had told them about Haley's boyfriend, the doctor continued. "It looked as though her boyfriend gave her a shot through the arm, which caused her to black out. Oh, and there was one other complication during surgery. You see, due to the blood loss, Haley was very weak, so we lost her for about 15 seconds, but as I said, she did pull through, so now we just have to wait for her to wake up."

"When will that be?" Lucas asked.

"It could be hours, days, or even months. I hate to tell you this, but she could never wake up. It's really up to Haley. I'm sorry."

"Can we see her?" Deb asked.

"I'll send the nurse to tell you when they have her situated in a room. She is in ICU, though, so only one visitor at a time." The doctor left.

Nathan turned around and slammed his fist into the wall. "Dammit!"

Deb ran over and pulled Nathan into her arms. This was hard enough on her, but she couldn't even begin to imagine how Nathan must feel. Haley had been his best friend for fifteen years, and Nathan loved her with all his heart.

"This isn't fair!" He sobbed. "Haley is a great person! She's the best person! She didn't deserve any of this!"

"I know, Nathan, but it's going to be okay. Haley's so strong. She's going to fight to come back to you. She's going to make it."

Nathan suddenly pulled away, "You can't just promise things like that. Haley could die! How am I supposed to save her from this? Since we were three, I always saved her, but now I can't!" He walked away from everyone and sat at the other end of chairs in the waiting room.

About fifteen minutes later, a nurse came out. "Is there a visitor for Haley James?" Everyone had talked earlier, when Nathan had walked away, and decided that he should be the first to go see her. They all turned to look at him. He slowly looked up, and Dan motioned for him to follow the nurse.

He got up and walked towards Haley's room. He had never been so scared in his life.

"I should warn you, she probably doesn't look like herself. She's hooked up to a lot of machines, and she has a tube in her throat to help her breathe until she wakes up. Her face is pretty swollen, too, and her body is covered in cuts and bruises. Just don't be alarmed." The nurse urged him to go in and walked away.

Nathan slowly opened the door, and when he saw Haley he immediately started to cry. It killed him to see her like this, but even in this state, she still looked like an angel to him. He walked over to grab her hand and found that it was freezing. This was not the Haley he knew. Nathan couldn't handle seeing her like this. He just wanted to remember the old Haley. He wanted to remember her how she was before she met John. Nathan got up and ran out.

He sank down by the wall and cried. Deb had seen him run out and went over to hug him again. She helped him walk over and sit back down in the waiting room. No one had seen John slip in and out of Haley's room.

Once Nathan calmed down a little, Lucas finally got him to talk.

"I just can't see her like that, man. She looks so broken. If I never get to see her again, I just want my last memories of her to be happy ones, not ones of her dying in a hospital room."

Then, they all heard the noise that would haunt Nathan for the rest of his life. They all went quiet as the beeping from the machine stopped and Haley flat lined.

All that could be heard in the ICU were the screams of a broken guy losing the love of his life.

**So, what did you think? Was that good or bad?? Please let me know! I love hearing your thoughts and suggestions!**


	9. Chapter 8

**Wow! Your reviews were incredible! You have no idea how much they help to motivate me! I'm glad that you guys seem to like the story. I hope you like the next chapter!! Please continue reviewing!**

Ch.8

"Son, are you ready to go? We're going to be late." Dan gently told Nathan. The past few days had been tough on all of them. Haley was a wonderful person, and she had brought so much joy to them all. However, no one could even begin to understand how Nathan felt.

They all knew Nathan and knew that if they made him talk too soon, he would shut himself off even more. They needed to give him time and space to come to terms with everything.

The drive there seemed to last hours because of the silence, when really it was only about 10 minutes. They all got out of the car silently. Dan was comforting a crying Deb the best he could while Lucas did the same with Brooke. Nathan just followed. He had yet to talk. He had never been this silent before. A couple of hours, yes; a day, once or twice; but never had he been silent for three straight days. He had shut himself off from the world, and no one could blame him. No one should ever have to go through something like this.

Once everyone was seated, it began.

"We are gathered here today to say goodbye to Haley Elizabeth James. It is never easy to lose someone we love, especially at such a young age. Haley was a very beloved person. She had this sort of grace that drew people to her. She had a smile that could brighten anyone's day, and she was rarely seen without it." The priest continued, but Nathan blocked him out.

How could he talk about Haley like this? He didn't even know her. No one knew her. Not like he did. Did everyone else know that Haley cheated on a Spanish test in 9th grade? Did they know that she blamed herself for her parents leaving? If Nathan hadn't told them, would anyone know that her boyfriend beat he shit out of her? No! He knew Haley inside and out, backwards and forwards, just like she knew him. They had a special bond that held them together for all these years. Even now, with Haley gone, he could still feel her presence all around him. Before Nathan knew it, everyone was headed to the cemetery.

When they got there, Lucas turned to Nathan. "Are you gonna be okay?"

What the hell? Am I going to be okay? Let's see, I just lost the love of my life and know we're going to bury her. Yeah! I'm perfect! Nathan thought sarcastically.

He just ignored Lucas and walked past him. As they lowered Haley into the ground, Nathan looked up and saw John watching from a distance. He had a smirk on his face. Without a second thought, Nathan ran over and pushed him into a tree. He threw punch after punch. His knuckles hurt and were starting to get raw. Suddenly, Lucas was behind him. He was pulling him off John.

"Nathan, stop! It's going to be okay!"

Nathan just kept screaming, "No!" over and over.

Then he heard, "We got her back!"

Suddenly, he was no longer at the cemetery, but at the hospital in the waiting room, pounding his fist into the wall.

Oh thank god! It was just a dream. Once again, Nathan started to cry. No one had seen him cry since he was 5. They had no idea how to help him. The only one that could help him was lying in a hospital bed.

"Nate, maybe you should try talking to Haley. I know it kills you to see her like this, but how are you going to feel when she wakes up and wants to know why you never went to see her. She may be unconscious, but she can still feel when you're with her. She can still hear your voice. It might even help her to wake up faster if she knows that you need her and are waiting for her to come back to you." Brooke spoke softly to Nathan while trying to hold back her own tears.

Nathan just nodded and slowly made his way back to Haley's room. He sat down beside the bed and held her hand. He kissed it a few times before speaking.

"Hey, baby. Remember when we were nine and you had to prove yourself as all tough and courageous, so you decided to climb that huge tree and you fell. You had to go have surgery on your leg, and I was so scared that you weren't going to come back; that something was going to happen in surgery and I was going to lose you. But you came back to me, Hales. You were brave and you came back to me. I just… I just need you to stay strong and come back to me again. I know you're tough, Hales. I know you can do this. Just please, please come back to me! I can't breathe without you. If I lose you, I don't know what I'll do. I just love you so much, baby. Please come back to me." He laid his head down on the bed and cried himself to sleep.

Meanwhile, Dan had talked to the staff, and they agreed to let Nathan stay the night even though visiting hours ended at 10.

Four days had passed and there was no change with Haley. Nathan had yet to leave her side. Everyone had tried to get him to go home to sleep and get something to eat, but he refused. He knew that he had to be there when she woke up.

He talked to Haley constantly. Whenever someone walked in, he was always telling her some story of what he remembered them doing when they were younger, and he remembered every story and detail. He reminded to her about how they would always sneak out on each other's birthdays and meet at the park at midnight from age 12 on, and about the night they snuck into the pool after it closed. Once he started telling her, he couldn't stop. He hoped that hearing about all of their great memories would help her fight to come back, but as of right now, they weren't helping.

After telling her another story, he resorted to begging again.

"Come on, Hales. We have so many other great memories to make. We have so much left to do in life. I can't do it without you. I need you. I love you so much. You need to wake up now."

Then, Nathan felt one of her fingers move in his hand, and she slowly opened her eyes.

**So, there it is! I really hope you like it! I kinda liked that part in the beginning tricking you into thinking Haley died, but no, she's alive! I'm just sorta mean like that! **


	10. Chapter 9

**Wow! Your reviews were incredible! You have no idea how much they help to motivate me! I'm glad that you guys seem to like the story. I hope you like the next chapter!! Please continue reviewing!**

Ch.9

"Hales?" Nathan spoke softly.

She went to speak, but quickly realized that she couldn't because of the tube in her throat. She pointed at it and Nathan noticed the tears starting to well up in her eyes.

"Oh Haley, thank god you're back! I love you so much! I've missed you!" He hugged her to his chest being careful not to pull on any of the wires or hurt her. "I'm going to go get the doctor so we can get that tube out of your throat, okay?"

She nodded her head, and immediately Nathan felt the tiniest bit better. She was back. Haley was back! He was going to make sure that no one ever hurt her again, and, as for John, Nathan would make sure that he was caught if he had to go out and find him himself.

"I'll be right back, baby." He said as he went out to find the doctor.

Nathan walked over to the nurse's station. "Excuse me? Could you let Dr. Stevens know that Haley James is awake."

The nurse just stared at him in disbelief. Though they didn't want to break it to the family, none of them had thought that she would make it considering all of the trauma she was put through. She nodded her head. Nathan then thanked her and went back to go see Haley.

"Hey, Hales! The doctor will be here soon. Do you need me to get you anything?"

She shook her head no and started to cry again. She was just so confused. He wrapped her up in his arms and held her until the doctor came in.

The minute the doctor stepped in the room, he knew this was a miracle. There had been only a small chance that Haley would make it, but looking at the scene before him, he knew that it was fate that she was still here. This guy must be special to her and these two were destined to be together.

The doctor cleared his throat and walked further into the room. "How are you feeling, Haley?"

Starting to get frustrated because she couldn't talk, Haley once again pointed to the tube that was in her throat.

"Ah, yes, you probably want that tube removed, huh?"

Haley went to nod, but as she did, a sharp pain shot through her head. She immediately laid her head back down on the pillow.

Nathan, who was really worried now, turned to the doctor. "What's going on?"

"I'm not sure. We should probably get that tube out and see what exactly is bothering her." He called a few nurses in to help him, and they got the tube out about ten minutes later.

Haley went to speak, but it came out so quiet that no one could understand.

"Your voice is going to be pretty quiet for the next couple of days. You're going to want to be sure to drink plenty of water and rest your voice when you can."

Nathan quickly grabbed the pitcher of water that was on the table, filled it up, and helped Haley take a drink. Her voice was just a whisper, but at least they could hear her now.

"So, Haley, I'll ask you again. How are you feeling?" The doctor asked nicely.

"Like I just got run over by a train." Hearing this broke Nathan's heart.

"Well, yes, you survived some pretty terrible injuries. Now that you are awake, we can give you some medicine for the pain, but we're going to need you to let us know if anything is bothering you, okay? The sooner, the better."

"Should there be a sharp, searing pain in my head?" Haley quietly asked.

"You took some serious blows to the head and have a concussion. It might hurt like this for a few more days, but let me know if it gets any worse."

Haley nodded her head slightly.

Before leaving, the doctor added, "It's great to have you back. I thought that we were going to have to put his one on some drugs to calm him down." He laughed as he pointed at Nathan.

When the doctor left, Haley was the first to speak. "I love you, Nathan. I'm sorry for all of the hell I've put you through! I don't deserve a friend like you!"

"Hales, I love you too, so much. Baby, you have nothing to be sorry for. I was supposed to protect you and I failed! The truth is, I don't deserve you! I never have."

"Nathan…"

"Okay, lets stop arguing about who should be more sorry. I think we both know that it could go on for hours." Nathan laughed as he cut her off.

Haley yawned.

"Oh, so I really am that boring, huh?"

"No! I'm just really sleepy! Hard to believe that I've been asleep for days and I'm still tired!"

"You get some sleep, okay? I'm gonna call everyone and let them know you are awake. They are going to be so excited! I swear that my mom nearly tackled me when she heard that we got together!"

Haley laughed a little, but her throat was still dry, so it hurt.

Nathan left the room, hoping Haley would try to sleep as long as he wasn't in there. Besides, he couldn't wait to tell his parents the good news!

Lucas picked up on the second ring. Dan, Deb, Lucas, and Brooke had all been waiting by the phone. They all feared that one of these days they were going to get the call that Haley was gone.

"Nate?" Lucas gently asked.

"She's awake, Luke!"

"What?" He practically yelled.

"She woke up! The doctors haven't checked her yet, but I think she's gonna be okay!"

"Oh my god! That's great! We'll be right there!"

"Okay see you soon!"

Nathan quietly walked back onto Haley's room, and, just like he expected, she was sleeping. He watched her as he thanked god she was alive.

About five minutes later, Deb, Dan, Lucas, and Brooke got there. Nathan met them in the hall and told them all to be quiet when they went in. Before, he could go back in the room, Dan stopped him.

"What's up, Dad?"

"Nathan, I have to tell you something about John."

Nathan clenched his fists and jaw when he heard his name. "What is it?" He asked.

"He's…"

Ha-ha I thought I'd leave a cliffhanger at the end! Sorry this chapter isn't so good. I'll try to make the next ones better! I was just having a little writers block! Stick with me!!


	11. Chapter 10

**Thank you so much for the reviews! They mean everything to me! I hope you guys are still liking the story! Please let me know! I love hearing what you think! If you want something else to happen or a new character to come into the story, I will add them!**

Ch.10

"He's in jail, son. The police caught him lurking outside of Haley's house." Dan had never seen Nathan look more relieved. Everyone knew that these past months of John hurting Haley had been killing Nathan. They had a love that would never end.

"Oh thank god! I can't wait to tell Haley! We can finally be happy, and I won't have to worry about her getting hurt."

Dan laughed at his last comment. "Oh, come on, Nate. Everyone knows that you will always protect Haley and worry about her. You have since the first day you met. Your mom and I always knew that you two would end up married someday!"

"Whoa, Dad! We just started dating! Plus, we are juniors in high school. (I don't think that works with their ages, but just go with it!) We are in no way ready to get married, yet."

"I'm just saying someday. It's obvious you two are head over heels for each other. Just give it some time. Besides, we won't rush you two because I am not ready to be a grandfather. I am far too young and handsome." Dan laughed.

"Oh my god, Dad! We are not discussing this!" Nathan quickly walked into Haley's room to join everyone else. Dan soon followed, still laughing.

"What's so funny?" Lucas asked, noticing that Dan was hysterically laughing while Nathan looked very uncomfortable.

"Oh, nothing. Just a little father-son chat!" Dan cheerily stated.

Nathan cringed.

One week later, Haley was finally being released from the hospital. Nathan was going to take her back to his house. It was decided that, even though John was locked up, Haley should stay with them until she was better. Besides, she still didn't know John was locked up, and it would be hard for her to get ready with a broken arm and leg. Her stomach was also hurting from the broken ribs and surgery to remove her spleen.

Nathan had once again spent the night at the hospital. Since Haley had been admitted, the only times he had gone home were to shower and change. Haley had tried to convince him to go home and rest, but he refused. After going through all of this, Nathan's nerves were shot. As far as he was concerned, Haley was never leaving his sight again.

After a long morning, the doctor finally came in. "How are you feeling today, Haley?"

"I'm still sore, but I'll be okay. I can't say the same for this one though." She said jokingly as she pointed at Nathan. "We might need to put him on Prozac."

The doctor just laughed, and Nathan rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

"I bet you're ready to get out of here."

"Oh, god yes. I mean, you have all been really nice, but this really isn't my kind of place."

"I know what you mean."

Through this all, Nathan couldn't wipe the smile off of his face. Just a week without John had done wonders for Haley. She smiled a lot more, and she was even starting to joke around again. He was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard the doctor speak again.

"Okay, I just need one of your parents to sign this release form and you are free to go."

Nathan saw the tears start to form in Haley's eyes at the mention of her parents. "I haven't actually seen my paretns in months." She said quietly.

Remembering how Dan had said he was Haley's father so that they could get information on her while she was unconscious, Nathan quickly cut in. "I'll call them for you, Hales."

The look in his eyes told her that he had a plan, so she just nodded.

"Well, just send them to the nurse's station when they get here then." The doctor left.

As soon as he was gone, Haley started to cry softly. Nathan walked over and held her to him, knowing that it usually comforted her. He slowly drew small circles on her lower back. He hated her parents for abandoning her.

"It's going to be okay, Hales."

"Is there something that wrong with me? My own parents can't stand me, and my boyfriend couldn't have cared less about me."

Nathan's heart broke. "Haley, listen to me. There is nothing wrong with you. There's something wrong with your parent's because you are perfect. And as for your boyfriend, your old one was just a heartless jackass, but your new one love's you with all his heart. Always and Forever, baby."

Haley smiled into his chest. She now had Nathan as her boyfriend, and she knew that he would never hurt her.

After he got Haley calmed down, Nathan called his parents. About twenty minutes later, Deb had signed the papers and was helping Nathan get Haley ready to leave. She realized that Nathan had everything under control, and she was so proud of the man he was becoming. She went down and set up Haley's doctor appointment. She would have to come see the doctor every week for the next four months.

When Deb got back to the room, she stifled a laugh. Nathan was insisting that he carry Haley to the car while Haley was fighting against it claiming she wasn't helpless and could still walk.

Deb had always known that these two were perfect for each other, and she couldn't be happier that they had finally realized it and got together.

"Halesssss…" Nathan whined.

"Nateeeee…" Haley replied, mocking him.

Nathan gave her a look. "Okay, I'm going to let it go that you just made fun of me, but I am still going to carry you."

"No, Nate, I'm too heavy, besides"

Nathan laughed. "Haley, you weigh like ten pounds, now come on."

Before Haley could respond, Deb cut in. "Okay, you two, that's enough. Let's compromise. Nathan, if Haley doesn't want to be carried you aren't going to carry her."

Haley cheered in victory and Nathan stuck his tongue out at her.

"However, Haley, how about you let Nathan push you down to the main floor in a wheelchair."

Haley immediately stopped. "Say what?"

"Ha!" Nathan exclaimed in victory.

Deb just walked away laughing as they continued bantering back and forth.

After much struggle on Haley's part, Nathan had gotten her out to the car in the wheelchair and they were heading home. Deb had driven her own car, so it was just Nathan and Haley is his car.

"Hales, I have a question. I don't want to upset you, but I have to know."

Haley nodded for him to proceed.

"Why did you stay with John after he started hitting you?"

Haley tried to stay calm. "He said that if I told anyone, he would hurt you. I couldn't let that happen, Nate."

Nathan couldn't believe it. Haley had stayed with John for him. "Haley, you shouldn't have done that. I can take John, but if he would have hurt you any worse, I think it would have killed me."

Haley just smiled and rubbed her thumb across his cheek. "I love you, Nathan. It's going to be okay now. I promise to stay away from John. It still scares me to know that he is out there, though." She looked down.

Nathan pulled into the driveway, stopped the car, and looked over at Haley. He could read her like a book, and he saw the fear in her eyes. "You don't have to worry about him anymore, Hales."

She looked up, obviously waiting for him to explain.

"The police got him. He's locked up. He can't hurt you anymore."

I decided that we had enough of John! I don't know how long this story will be, but as long as you like it and want me to keep writing, I will. Nathan and Haley will have more issues in the future, but true love conquers all, right? Hope you liked the chapter! Please review!!


	12. Chapter 11

**Thanks for the reviews! They really help get me to write more!! Let me know what you think of this chapter!**

Ch.11

Haley flung herself into Nathan's arms the best she could in the car and kissed him.

"Oh thank god!" She started to cry.

Nathan noticed this right away, of course. "Hales, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm just so happy he's gone. We can finally be together!"

"Oh, I know. I've waited for you for so long, Hales. Everything's going to be okay, now."

She nodded her head and Nathan got out of the car. He noticed Haley going to get out too and stopped her.

"Haley, what do you think you're doing?"

"I'm getting out of the car. Last I checked, I was going to stay in your guest room, not the car."

"Yeah, but Hales, I meant what are you doing getting out of the car by yourself."

"Oh, come on, Nate."

He wrapped his arm around her waist and helped her hobble into the house.

"Is this how it's going to be from now on? I don't get to do anything by myself?"

"Pretty much." He smirked.

"So, I'm like a prisoner here?"

"Yeah, but you're MY prisoner."

"Yeah, keep dreaming buddy."

"Oh, I will."

"Nathan!"

They didn't even realize that they had an audience until Brooke started laughing.

"Wow, you two. Seriously?"

"Hi, Brooke." Haley said.

"Hey! You feel any better?" Brooke hugged her.

"Ehh…I'll get there. Besides, I'm going to be lucky if Nate here even let's me up to go to the bathroom."

Nathan playfully stuck his tongue out at her.

Brooke just laughed at their childish antics. "Come on, Haley. We'll let Natey boy over here go relax and we can go talk by the pool."

Once they got to the pool, Brooke started to talk.

"You know how much he loves you, right?"

"Yeah, I kinda like him too." Haley joked.

"No, I'm serious. That boy is nothing without you. You should have seen him when you were unconscious. I have never seen Nathan cry, but those days were the hardest of his life. I don't think he ever stopped crying."

Haley looked down. "It's all my fault. I never meant to put him through that."

"No No No. That's not what I meant. No one blames you for this, okay? Especially not Nathan. I just wanted you to know that he is crazy for you. He lives and breathes Haley James. Nothing will ever change that." Brooke got up and hugged her again. "I'm gonna go find Broody now!"

"Brooke?" She turned around.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

Brooke just smiled and walked away.

After a couple minutes of sitting by the pool alone, Haley felt someone watching her. She turned around and saw Nathan leaning against the doorframe just staring at her. He started to walk over.

Then, Haley felt two strong arms wrap around her waist. Nathan pulled her back a little so that her head was resting comfortably against his chest. Every once in a while, he would lean down and kiss the top of her head. They were both content just sitting with each other.

After about an hour, Lucas came out. "Aww, isn't this cute?" He laughed. "I hate to break you two lovebirds up, but someone is calling for Haley."

"Who? Nobody even knows I'm staying here."

Lucas just shrugged and Nathan helped Haley stand up. She leaned over and kissed him softly before walking away to answer the phone. Nathan watched her walk away before he turned to Lucas.

Lucas and Nathan started to talk.

"So are you happy, Nate?"

"Yeah, I am. Haley's my whole world. I'm just so glad that we finally get to be happy together."

"I'm happy for you man. Haley's great. I can see how much you love her."

Nathan just smiled.

After about ten minutes, Nathan decided to go see who Haley was talking to and what was taking her so long. As soon as he walked into the room, he saw the tears streaming down her face.

All of the sudden, Haley dropped the phone. Nathan rushed over to her. When she turned to look at him, her face was pale.

"Hales?"

Sorry it was so short. I'll write a longer chapter tomorrow! Let me know if you liked it!! Suggestions?


	13. Chapter 12

Ch.12

"Hales, baby. Please tell me what's going on!" Nathan pleaded with Haley, who now had a steady stream of tears rolling down her face.

"I… We're…"

"What? Come on, baby. You know you can tell me anything."

"That was Mary."

"Who?" Nathan asked her. He had known Haley his whole life and didn't remember anyone named Mary.

"My parent's assistant."

"Oh, well what did she want? Are your parents okay?" Personally, Nathan couldn't have cared less about her parents, but he knew Haley would be crushed if something had happened to them. He had hated them ever since they abandoned Haley when they were fifteen. Then, they didn't even call or visit her. They would send checks in the mail to cover expenses and the house payment, and once a year, Haley would get a call from their assistant to, as she put it, 'make sure she was alive and still paying for their house'.

"Oh, they're just perfect. My dad got this new job because his last one wasn't paying enough. You know, raking in millions of dollars a day isn't enough. No! We have to go for billions. Who the hell does he think he is anyway? I mean…"

Nathan knew that Haley could ramble and rant about her parents for another hour if he let her, so he decided to cut straight to the point. "Yeah, but Hales, you never see them anyway. Let your dad be an ass and go take his new job."

"Nate, the job's in Paris. I'm moving next week."

Nathan sat there stunned, and Haley took off running out the back door, or at least hobbling as fast as she could.

NALEY

About five minutes later, Lucas came down the stairs. He noticed his brother sitting on the floor with the phone on the ground where Haley had dropped it. The dial tone could be heard, but Nathan just sat there.

Lucas walked over, put the phone back on the table, and turned to Nathan.

"Are you okay, man? You don't look so good."

After a while, Nathan spoke. "She's moving, Luke. Dammit! We finally get together. Haley is finally my girlfriend, and now this happens! What the hell did I do to deserve this?!"

"Whoa, Nate, slow down! What do you mean, 'she's moving'?"

"Haley! That was her parent's assistant on the phone. Her dad got a job in Paris, and she has to move next week."

Lucas had no idea what to say. "Nate, did you and Haley talk about this yet? What did she say?"

"Shit! Haley took off, man. I have to go find her. She's supposed to be laying down and relaxing! What if she's hurt?" Nathan was starting to freak out.

"Hey, I'm sure she's fine. She couldn't have gotten very far."

Suddenly, Nathan had an idea. He knew that there was only one place that Haley would go if she was sad. He took off out the back door, ignoring Lucas's voice calling him.

"Nate, where are you going?"

Nathan just kept running.

NALEY

He walked through the woods behind his house until he reached the little stream that ran through the middle. He went to the deep part and saw Haley sitting there with her good leg hanging in the water.

He slowly walked over and sat beside her, sticking his legs in the water as well.

Haley didn't even flinch. She knew Nathan would find her. This was their place. No one knew that there was a stream back here, except for them. They had found it back when they were five and decided to explore in the woods. From then on, whenever something happened to them, they always came to the stream.

After a while of silence, Nathan reached over to pull Haley to him. He held her to his side and gently kissed the top of her head.

Haley was the one to break the silence. "So…You found me."

"Yeah. I remember the last three times I found you down here. When your grandpa died, when your parents left, and about a month after you started to date John."

"That was right after he hit me the first time."

"Yeah." Nathan said quietly as he pulled Haley even closer.

"I don't wanna move, Nate." She said, bringing up the topic they both just wanted to ignore.

"I know. I don't want you to move either."

"We are finally happy, you know? I've waited for this for so long, and now it's going to be over right after it starts."

"Hales, this will never be over. I've waited this long for you, and I'm not going to give up. I'll wait for you forever if I have to."

"Nate, I don't want this to end either, but we're not going to see each other."

"What about during the summer? And college?"

"Yeah, but I don't want to wait until college to be with you! I want to be with you now!"

"Me too. I'll think of something, Hales. I'm not going to let you move!" Nathan pulled Haley into his lap and kissed her. Their kisses became frantic, and soon they had a full on make-out session going.

**So, what do you think?? I already have the next chapters planned in my head, so let me know if you are still into the story! Please Review!!**


	14. Chapter 13

Ch13

Back at the house, Deb was becoming worried. Lucas had just told them all that he knew from Nathan. "Do you think that they're okay? Where do you think they went?"

"Deb, I'm sure that they are fine. Trust me; Nathan will protect Haley with his life from now on. Besides, they went in the backyard; they are probably just hiding out in the woods." Dan said, trying to calm Deb down.

NALEY

About ten minutes later, Nathan and Haley headed back to the house. Neither of them was talking. Haley was busy cursing out her parents in her head, and Nathan was thinking of something he could do to keep Haley here. He had promised her that he would think of something, and he was determined not to break that promise.

Inside, everyone wanted to know where they had gone.

They just smiled at each other. They had made a promise to never let anyone know about their secret hiding spot.

NALEY

Once they had all calmed down as much as they could, they sat down to eat. Nathan sat next to Haley and would occasionally squeeze her hand.

Whenever she would get quiet, he would just keep whisper reminding her that it was going to be okay. He would think of something. He had no idea what he was going to do, but he was not going to let Haley move.

Everyone at the table carefully avoided the subject of parents, moving, and Paris.

"So, uh, how much longer is your guys' break, Luke?" Haley asked.

"Oh, um, just until Monday, so we'll probably leave tomorrow."

"On Saturday? Why not wait until Sunday? Are you that sick of me already?" Nathan questioned.

"Yes, we can't stand to be around you anymore." Lucas loked.

"That hurts, man." Nathan mocked hurt.

"Yeah, you know, just to get settled back in. Besides, with all of the new clothes Brooke bought, it'll probably take her a whole day to unpack anyway." Lucas said, trying to ease the tension at the table.

Everyone laughed while Brooke just mock glared at him.

"Wow you two! You're lucky you found each other." Nathan said.

They just smiled at each other.

"Wait a minute! Are you being sarcastic?" Brooke asked when she noticed Nathan laughing. She threw her napkin at him, while he just continued to laugh.

After the dishes and everything was cleaned up, they all decided to just head to bed.

NALEY

Nathan helped Haley get up the stairs and into her room. They both just sat there in silence not knowing what to say, until Haley spoke.

"So, we get to be together for seven days, huh? Boyfriend and girlfriend until Friday?"

"Come on, Hales, don't think like that. I'll think of something."

"I hope so."

"It's going to be okay. I'm not going to let you move! I nearly lost you once, and I won't let that happen again.

Nathan turned to walk away until he heard Haley say, "Nate, will you stay with me tonight?"

He turned around and nodded his head. He took off his shoes and climbed into the bed with her.

After a while, Haley had moved over. Her head was laying on Nathan's chest, and he had a protective arm wrapped around her.

They stayed awake for hours, remembering all the things they did together in the past. They stayed up and reminisced about the past until two in the morning.

Finally, Haley said, "Night, Nate."

"Night, Hales. I love you."

"I love you too."

They cuddled up to each other and fell into a peaceful sleep.

NALEY

The next morning, Brooke went to get Haley up for breakfast. She knocked on the door, but when Haley didn't answer, she decided to just walk in.

"Oh My God! You two totally shared a bed!" She exclaimed loudly.

Both Nathan and Haley jerked their heads up. Haley started to turn red, embarrassed at being caught. Nathan, however just sat there with his usual smirk.

"You two don't mess around. You move quickly!"

"Brooke, nothing happened. We just fell asleep." Haley said, burying her head into Nathan's chest.

"Uh-huh, sure you did. You guys are just lucky I'm the one that walked in! Don't worry, your secret's safe with me!" Brooke said. She winked and skipped back out of the room.

"Oh my god!" Haley said, still embarrassed.

Nathan, however, just laughed.

**Sorry, not a lot happened in that chapter, but in the next chapter, Nathan's plan will come out. Will Haley go with it? Will she side with her parents? Haha I already have it planned, so…**

**Please review! It makes me happy to know that you guys still like the story and want me to continue! )**


	15. Chapter 14

**Ch.14**

"Well, it's Wednesday, two more days until hell." Haley announced as she walked into the kitchen.

Dan walked over and put his arm around Haley. "It'll be okay. It's Paris, just think of how much fun you will have."

"What? Locked in the house with the gold diggers I call my parents?"

Deb and Dan just laughed. Haley used her crutches to hop up to Nathans room. She was getting better on them, but with a broken arm and leg, getting around was difficult. She couldn't wait to travel with them.

NALEY

Haley didn't bother to knock; she just burst into his room.

"So, figured out the plan yet? Cause I am not…leaving." Haley finished quietly while staring at Nathan.

He stood there in just loose fitting basketball shorts. His amazing abs and chest were in full view. Yes, she had seen him without a shirt on before, but that was different. That was back when they were just friends. Plus, he looked even more buff now.

Nathan smirked. "Like what you see?"

Haley quickly looked away. "Quite the ego you've got there. For all you know, I could've been thinking about how scrawny you're looking." Haley laughed.

Nathan faked hurt. "Really? Cause I didn't see you complaining when you were just staring a minute ago."

"Bite me!"

"If you insist."

Haley laughed. "God, were you always this much of a perv?"

"Yes, but just admit that you like that I'm a perv!"

They both smiled at each other until Nathan walked over and claimed Haley's lips.

It started out slow but quickly escalated.

Five minutes later, they heard Dan, "Whoa! Way too early to see this from my son and the girl I think of as a daughter!"

They quickly pulled apart.

"Uh, hi Dad."

"Hi!" Dan smirked, clearly amused.

"We were just, uh…"

"Yes?"

"Never mind."

"Well, your mother sent me to tell you that breakfast is ready, but I see you two were already taking care of that." He laughed and walked back down the hall.

"You ass! Do you see what your hot body does to me! You could've at least shut the door!" Haley said.

"Ah, so you do think I have a hot body?"

"Shut up!" She threw a pillow at him and proceeded to hobble down the stairs.

NALEY

Thursday night, Nathan and Haley went out. They wanted to spend her last night together, just the two of them.

"So, it's Thursday night, and I leave in 19 hours. Let's here this plan of yours." Haley said as they walked down on the docks.

"Later, right now, let's just enjoy being with each other."

"Okay."

After a while, they came to a secluded area of the docks. It was surrounded by water, and there were just enough lights around it.

All of the sudden, Nathan got down on one knee.

"Nate, what are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" He laughed. "Haley, we've been together for most of our lives. We have faced all of our problems together, and we always stood up for each other, but now, that is being taken away from us. I'm not ready for that to happen yet. I know that we're young, but I also know that if anyone can make this work, it's us. So, Haley Caroline James, will you marry me and make me the happiest guy in the world?"

Haley was crying, and when she spoke, it came out as more of a whisper. "I don't know what to say."

Nathan started to get nervous. "Yes would be a great start."

"Yes." She shouted. "I'll marry you Nathan Royal Scott."

He picked her up and spun her around before leaning down to kiss her softly.

"Come on." He said when they broke apart.

"Where?"

"To get married."

"Now?!" Haley asked, shocked.

"Yeah, think about it, we all knew that you I were going to get married someday. Besides, I am gonna love you forever, Haley James. We're gonna be together forever."

"I know." She said through tears.

"So then why can't forever start today?"

NALEY

When they got home hours later, Deb and Dan were waiting at the door.

"So?!" Deb asked.

"We got married!" Nathan said.

"Wait what?" Dan asked. They knew Nathan was going to propose, but they had no idea that they were going to get married tonight. They thought that they were just going to get engaged so that Haley could stay.

After they explained it all, though, Deb and Dan were okay with it. Nathan had even had a dress waiting for Haley at the church so that she would still get to have a wedding dress even though they didn't get a big fancy wedding.

NALEY

That night, they drifted off into a peaceful sleep, both happy to be in the other's arms.

However, the next morning, Nathan woke up to no Haley.

"Hales?" He sleepily asked. When he sat up, he saw Haley packing up her stuff, tears in her eyes.

"What are you doing?" It was obvious that he was confused.

"I'm packing." She said simply through tears.

Why? I mean, we're married, remember? You're staying here with me."

"I thought it was going too be that simple, Nate, I really did, but it's not."

"What do you mean?" He started to get off of the bed.

"My parents called. To say that they are pissed about the marriage would be an understatement. It's either, I move to Paris with them, or they cut me out of their lives."

"Haley! They aren't in your life now! Come on, we were finally going to be happy."

"I know, and I'm sorry, but…I gotta go." She walked over and kissed him on the cheek before walking out with her bag."

Nathan noticed that the rest of her stuff must have been loaded out already. All of her things were gone except for her wedding dress, which was laying out nicely on the desk.

NALEY

Haley walked to the front door and handed Dan her last bag. He was going to drive her to the airport and help her get her bags loaded.

Although, Deb and Dan felt bad for the two, they could see why Haley felt she had to go. Even though they weren't close, these were still Haley's parents and she still wanted their love and praise.

As they pulled out of the driveway, Haley looked up at Nathan's window. He was just standing there watching her. She waved up at him with tears in her eyes, but he just stared back at her. Once the house was out of sight, Haley just looked down at her wedding ring and studied it for the rest of the ride.

NALEY

When Dan got home, Deb told him that Nathan had yet to come out of his room.

They both tried to talk to him, but it was useless.

Nathan picked up his phone to see if she had at least called, and he noticed that he had a new voicemail.

As he listened to it, his jaw dropped.

**So, what did you think? I wrote a longer chapter for you because I won't be able to update until Tuesday morning! I am going to my cousin's house this weekend and they don't have internet!! Please review though! You have no idea how happy they make me! I might even be able to get a chapter up late Monday night then!**


	16. Chapter 15

Sorry for the wait! Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

Ch.15

As he listened to it, his jaw dropped.

"Nathan, I really hate the way we left things. I'm so sorry! You know that I hate fighting with you. I love you so much, and nothing and no one could ever change that. This is just something I have to do. I know that they've never been there for me, but they're still my parents, you know? I am going to miss you so much. Please don't give up on me or us. I just…what am I doing? I love you, Nathan. I'm getting off the plane. I'm coming back. You and I have to be together!"

There were noises of her moving around, and then he heard a flight attendant.

"Miss, we're about to take off. Please sit down and put your seatbelt on.

No, you don't understand! I have to get off the plane. I need to go see my husband!

I'm sorry, but we are about to take off.

Please, I have to get off the plane! Umm, I'm going to be sick.

Miss, I can't let you off. Besides, there is a bathroom in the back."

At this point, Nathan found himself yelling at the phone. "Let her off the plane!"

He continued to listen to the message, trying to figure out what happened.

"Please! Umm, I forgot one of my bags out there.

Miss, I…"

Then, the machine got cut off.

"No! Did she get off the plane?"

Then, from behind him, he heard, "I got off the plane!"

He turned around and saw Haley in the doorway, a huge smile on her face.

Nathan ran over and kissed her senseless, so happy to have her back in his arms.

"How did you get back here? Didn't my dad drive you?"

"I took a cab."

"But, where's all of your stuff?"

"On its way to Paris." She laughed. "I'm having the airline send it back to me."

"Okay."

"Nathan, I am so sorry. I never should have left you. You are and always have been my family. I was so stupid to believe my parents. They probably wouldn't have even been there when I showed up!"

"Hey, hey hey hey! You are not stupid, okay? Your parents are just idiots. You are perfect."

"So, we're okay?" Haley asked hopefully.

"Yes! Always and Forever, remember?" He hugged her tight again. "Nice message, by the way. You ran my answering machine out."

"Really?"

"Yeah. What happened? I thought the lady wouldn't let you off the plane."

"Well, I started to ramble, big surprise there, about what happened with us and everything we had been through, and everyone on the plane started chanting. They were all like, 'Let her off. Let her off', and that caused the pilot to come see what was happening, and then…"

Nathan cut off her rambling. He knew that the story could last for an hour if he let it. "Hales?!"

Sorry! So, long story short, they took pity on me and let me off!"

"I'm so glad they did. I love you, Haley James."

"I love you too, Nathan Scott." He smiled.

"Oh, and by the way, it's Scott now." She said.

Nathan looked at her, confused.

"It's Haley James Scott!" She said and kissed him passionately.

"My mistake!"

"Just don't make it again."

"So, what are you going to do about your parents?"

"We'll just see what happens when I don't show up in Paris. They will most likely be ticked, but I'm married now. What are they gonna do about it?"

"I have no idea, Mrs. Scott." Nathan said, emphasizing the Mrs. Scott.

Haley just laughed, and Nathan stared at her.

"What? Come on, Nate, you're making me feel a little self-conscious here."

"It's nothing. It's just good to here you laugh and see you smile again. I'm glad that you're happy. You've been through so much, it's just…nice."

"I know what you mean. Besides, nothing is going to stand in our way of being happy now.

NALEY

Later that night, after the excitement of Haley being back had worn down, Nathan and Haley sat cuddled up on the couch watching TV.

"This is nice."

"It is." Nathan agreed.

"I wish we could stay like this forever. You know? Just get rid of my parents and all of the problems we've had."

"I want that too." Nathan said and leaned down to kiss her softly.

A little while later, Deb came in to the room.

"You guys are adorable."

"Gee, thanks mom. Adorable is what every guy wants to be called."

Haley and Deb laughed at the face Nathan made.

"Sorry, I'm just so happy for you two. You've found true love at such a young age."

Nathan and Haley smiled at each other.

Then, Deb remembered why she had come in in the first place. "Oh, Haley?"

"Yeah?"

"Your mom is on the phone for you." She said as she handed the phone to her.

"Oh." Sensing that Haley was nervous, Nathan held her close and began to rub small, soothing circles on her back.

"It's going to be okay, baby." He told her, trying to comfort her.

Haley just nodded in response.

She took a deep breath, preparing herself for what was about to come. Then, she put the phone to her ear; slowly preparing herself for the fight that she knew would take place.

"Hi, mom."

**Please review!! I'd love to hear what you think so far. And please don't hate me for the cliffhanger! **

**Okay, so that whole thing with the, "I got off the plane." Part? Yeah, that was from FRIENDS! I love that show! Anyways, I'm sorry for the wait, but I hope you liked it!! I'm back to updating every day, so!**


	17. Chapter 16

Ch.16

"Hi, mom." Haley said hesitantly.

"Don't you 'Hi, mom' me. Would you care to explain why our driver got to the airport today and came back with your stuff but no you?"

"Well, you see"

"No, Haley I am your mother and what I say goes. You stayed back with that man whore of a friend of yours, didn't you?"

"I stayed with Nathan, that's his name by the way, because he and the Scott's have been more of a family to me than you ever were." She said, emphasizing Nathan's name.

"Well, last time I checked, you were still my daughter; though believe me, sometimes I wish you weren't."

Haley was shocked. Her mother wished that she wasn't her daughter. She shut her eyes tight, willing the tears not to come.

Nathan, of course, knew Haley inside and out and could tell that something her mom said had upset her. He pulled her closer so that her head rested comfortably against his chest and would kiss her head every so often.

"Why would you say that?" Haley asked quietly.

"Oh, come on Haley, it's no surprise. Your father and I were young when we had you. We were just out of high school for heavens sake. You had to know that you were just an accident child. You weren't planned or anything. As a matter of fact, we talked about not even having you, but your grandmother wouldn't hear of it, so here we all are. I'll tell you one thing, my life would have been completely different had it not been for you coming along."

That was what it took for the tears to start rolling down Haley's face. Nathan noticed this immediately and wiped them all away with the pad of his thumb.

"So, you tell me all this and then expect me to just be all happy and run right off to get on a plane to come live with you?" Haley yelled her voice cracking.

"You really have no say in the matter. Even though you were a mistake, you are still my daughter and I won't have you living with some boy like the slut that you are. You are so selfish, you know that?"

"I'm selfish, mom? You just went on and on about how badly I screwed up your life. You know what; maybe you should have just ignored grandma. Then I would never have been born and you could have your perfect life!"

"Oh, Haley, don't be dramatic. Besides, it's not like we can go back and change those things anyway. I can only wish."

"Well, you know what, mom? You go have your perfect life because I don't legally belong to you anymore! For your information, Nathan and I got married. We're happy. Just cut me out of your life like you want to, and I will definitely cut you out of mine!"

"You what? Do you know what this will do to the well-known James name?! Everyone is going to talk about the James' slut daughter taking off and getting married at age 18!"

"Everything's always about you, isn't it?"

"This is not over, Haley. Your father and I will be at the Scott's tomorrow for dinner to discuss this…thing!"

"What? No!"

"I'll see you tomorrow." She said.

Haley's heart stopped. She had not seen her parents in over a year and now they were coming to the Scott's for supper the next night. She was beyond terrified. Her parents were evil, and she knew that they would stop at nothing. They were determined to break Haley and Nathan up to protect the prominent family name, but Haley couldn't and wouldn't let them.

She hung the phone up, and Nathan looked at her, concern evident in his eyes.

"Well, what did she say? She can't exactly take you back now that we're married."

"My parents. They're coming for dinner tomorrow."

"Oh." Nathan said quietly. He hated Haley's parents. He hadn't seen them for about two years, but he knew what horrid and mean people they were. He also knew that they treated Haley horribly. One thing was for sure, though. He would never let anyone, not even Haley's parents, hurt her ever again.

"It was horrible, Nate. My mom just went on and on about how I was an accident child and how I should never have been born."

"Don't listen to her, Haley. Your mom is a bitch! Face it. You are a better person than either of your parents will ever be."

"It's going to be bad, Nate. They're going to attack me and you…"

"Haley, look at me. I will always protect you, okay? I will always stick up for you. Always and Forever. Remember? That will never change."

"I love you, Nathan."

"I love you two. Now what do you say we head to bed, Mrs. Scott." He knew that being called Mrs. Scott would cheer her up.

"Okay."

Before she could protest, Nathan swooped her up in his arms and carried her to their room.

NALEY

The next morning, everyone was up cleaning the house, trying to make it look spotless. The last thing they needed was to have a dirty house and give Jimmy and Lydia more to complain about.

Once it was clean, all that was left to do was wait.

Haley was busy pacing back and forth in the living room on her crutches. Nathan walked over to her and stood in front of her, preventing her form moving any further.

"It's going to be okay, Hales. Remember what I told you last night?"

"Yeah. Thanks. I guess I'm just nervous."

"I promise it will be okay. It'll all be over soon, and then we can be happy."

"Yeah." Haley smiled for the first time that day.

Now, all they had to do was wait.

**Well, what do you think? I know it wasn't my best, but I am seriously having writer's block, so suggestions are welcome!**

**I think that this story is coming to an end after a couple more chapters! Unless I get requests for it to keep going! Let me know what you think! Please Review! I promise that the next chapter will be better!**


	18. Chapter 17

Yay! I'm so glad you guys liked the last chapter! Hope you like this next one!

Ch.17

After what seemed like forever, the doorbell rang.

"Moment of truth." Haley whispered.

"It's going to be okay, Hales. Are you ready?"

"No and I never will be." Haley said, After a few seconds, she stood up. "Let's go."

"That's my girl. You're going to be fine."

They headed towards the door and found that Deb had already let Haley's parents in.

When they heard others walk into the room, Jimmy and Lydia turned around. They saw Haley standing there on a crutch with one of her arms in a cast.

"What the hell is this?" Lydia screeched.

"I was in an accident. You would know that if you were ever around." Haley rolled her eyes.

Nathan just stood there, ready to jump in and defend Haley if need be. They had all talked before Haley's parents got there, and Haley had everyone agree to tell the accident story. She didn't want her parents degrading her for being stupid enough to get in an abusive relationship. Even though it was not her fault, her parents would still see it that way.

"Don't start, Haley." Her father warned. "I'm very busy with work. You should be thankful we had time to come see you. You don't have to work to get all that money that you spend."

"I barely spend any of it. I pay for your house, and then mom spends the rest on alcohol and clothes."

Before anyone could respond, Dan walked into the room. Haley breathed a sigh of relief, and Nathan rubbed her back comfortingly.

"Who's ready to eat?" Dan asked.

No one answered; instead they all silently followed Dan into the dining room.

Deb and Dan sat at the head of the table and Haley and Nathan sat on the side across from Jimmy and Lydia. Nathan held Haley's hand under the table, silently letting her know that he would protect her.

They knew that it was only a matter of time before Lydia would start in on Haley, so they all enjoyed the silence.

After a while, Lydia spoke. "So, you two got married, huh?"

Seeing that Haley was nervous, Nathan spoke up. "That's right. I love your daughter."

Lydia laughed. "Oh, its love is it?"

"That's right."

"You guys don't need to lie anymore. I know the real reason you two got married."

"Oh, and what IS the real reason we got married, mom?"

""You're pregnant of course." Lydia smirked.

"What?!" Haley nearly choked on her water.

"Well, it's quite obvious, dear. I mean, look at you. You are already starting to put on baby weight."

Nathan jumped up. "What the hell? Why are you so cruel to your daughter? For your information, she is not pregnant. We got married because we love each other and I can't picture my life without her! Then again, what would you know about love? You are just a gold digger who got married for money."

Dan finally spoke. "Nathan, son, calm down."

"No! I am sick of Haley's parents treating her like this! They're always degrading her and putting her down, and I'm sick of it!"

With tears in her eyes, Haley looked up at Nathan. She grabbed the sleeve of his shirt and pulled him back down to sit.

Looking at Haley, Nathan knew that he should sit down and cool off.

"Nathan, Haley, why don't you two go out for a little bit and let us talk." Deb said.

Haley nodded and got up. She and Nathan took off into the woods once again.

NALEY

As they were heading back there, they could here Jimmy and Lydia yelling.

They heard something about it all being Nathan's fault and that Dan and Deb should have done something to stop it. They blocked it out and kept walking.

After about two hours, they decided to head back. Nathan kept a firm, protective grip around Haley's waist.

They walked in just as Haley's parents were about to leave.

"Haley, if this is how you want things to be, then this is how they will be. You have disgraced the James family name. You stay here and be with these people, but I warn you, you won't here from us again. We are selling the house here and cutting off your allowance."

"Fine." Haley said, trying to keep a steady voice. "You want me to choose between you and Nathan? I choose Nathan." Haley said, not even having to think about it.

"Well then, we are leaving. Goodbye, Haley." Lydia said before she walked out.

Nathan expected Haley to cry or scream, but instead, she turned around and kissed him.

"I love you, Nathan Scott. See, I told you that nothing and no one could ever change that."

Nathan smiled. "I love you too, Haley Scott. I always have and always will."

"Always and Forever, right?" Haley asked.

"That's right, baby."

They kissed again and then headed to bed. Both ready to put the day behind them.

**Well? Was it okay? Please let me know what you thought.**

**I was thinking about skipping ahead in the next chapter. Maybe to the beginning of senior year or something, so it would only skip the end of the year and summer. What do you think??**


	19. Chapter 18

Ch.18

**Okay, so based off of the reviews, I am going to keep writing this story for a while!! I'm so happy that you all like it! Hope you like the next chapter!**

**3 months later (summer is ending and senior year is starting!)**

"I don't like it." Nathan said bluntly.

"Oh come on. We just walked in, Nathan."

"It's weird looking, and it's so tiny!"

Haley laughed and continued to look around the apartment. They decided that, since they were married, they needed to get their own place. They had been apartment hunting for a little over a week now.

"It's also cheap! Which is good because we don't really have a lot of money!"

Haley continued to look around, pretending to be interested to bother NAthan.

"Hales!" Nathan whined.

"Fine, we won't get it. God, you're picky!"

"Oh, just admit that you love the fact that I'm picky." Nathan said while walking out of the apartment.

"Oh yeah! God Nathan, it's just so sexy when you are whining like a four year old." Haley said sarcastically.

"Hey! No need to get mean. You seriously tear down my self-esteem, Hales!"

"Yeah yeah." Haley said as she playfully hit him in the arm.

"Ow! Do you see all the abuse that I put up with?"

"Psssh, I thought that no one could hurt Nathan Scott!"

"Well, that was until Haley Scott came along. I've seen you when you're angry. You throw one hell of a punch, babe. It is sexy as hell!"

"Is that so?"

"Uh huh."

"Hmm" Haley pulled NAthan closer and kissed him passionately, sucking on his bottom lip.

Nathan moaned and Haley pulled away.

"Haless!" He whined again.

"There's more where that came from if you help pick an apartment already!"

"What are we waiting for?" NAthan said as he dragged Haley into the next place.

NALEY

After looking at two other places, they finally found an apartment that they both agreed on. They talked to the landlord, and ended up getting it. He told them that they could move in as soon as they paid for the month.

Nathan gave the man a check right away. They wanted to move in during the next couple of days so that they wouldn't have to worry about it when they started school the next week.

When they got back to Nathan's house, they found Deb and told her.

"That's great you two! I was beginning to think that you would never find an apartment. I mean with how picky Nathan is."

Haley just laughed, and Nathan started to protest.

"Hey! I am not that picky!"

They heard the door open signaling that Dan was home. Nathan went to tell him and left Haley and Deb to talk.

"Deb, thank you so much!"

"For what?"

"For letting me stay here. For taking care of me since my parents left. You are like the mother that I never had. I don't know what I would have done without you and Dan."

"Oh, Haley, stop! You know that Dan and I think of you as a daughter. Well, actually, now that you and Nathan are married, you kind of are our daughter in a way. We love you."

They hugged each other just as Nathan and Dan walked out.

"What's going on?" Dan asked.

Deb quickly wiped a few tears out of her eyes. "Oh nothing. Just some girl talk you know."

"Okay…" Nathan said, eyeing them both strangely. He walked over and pulled Haley into his side. "So, good news. My dad is going to help us move into the apartment tomorrow."

"Really? That's great! Thanks, Dan." Haley wiggled out of Nathan's arms and walked over to hug Dan.

"Oh, Haley, it's no trouble at all. We're going to miss you, but truth is, we are so happy that you are taking this knucklehead away." He said, nodding his head towards Nathan. "We were always so scared that he would live here forever and never move out." Dan laughed.

"Gee thanks." Nathan said. "Nothing like the love of your family, huh?"

"Oh, you know we're just kidding Nate." Haley said while hugging him and standing on her tiptoes to give him a quick peck on the lips.

After talking a little more, they all decided to go to sleep.

NAthan and Haley crawled into bed, and Haley immediately rolled over and snuggled into Nathan's side. He wrapped his arms protectively around her.

"Night, Hales. I love you!"

"I love you too, Nate"

Then, they both fell into a peaceful sleep.

**Well? Good? Bad? I know that not a lot happened and it was pretty short, but it was sort of just a filler for the next chapter. Nathan and Haley are going to move into their apartment, and there will be more drama for them. **


	20. Chapter 19

**Ch.19**

**I am so SO sorry for not updating sooner! My grandma was here and always complains about me being on the computer so much! It was a little hard to type with her trying to look over my shoulder, but I promise to update again every day this week! Hope you like the next chapter!**

The next morning, Haley woke up to Nathan softly kissing the exposed skin on her back and shoulders.

"Mmm." Haley sighed.

Nathan smiled. "Morning, Hales."

Haley responded by fusing their lips together in a passionate kiss.

When they broke apart a few minutes later, Nathan was the first to speak.

"So, Mrs. Scott, are you ready to move into our new apartment?"

"Of course." Haley gave him a quick peck on the lips and started to get off of the bed. Before she got all of the way off though, she leaned downed and seductively whispered in Nathan's ear. "Oh, and by the way, I'd rest up. I plan on christening every room in the apartment."

Nathan's eyes glazed over. Haley giggled and hopped off of the bed. However, as soon as she got off, Nathan had composed himself and reached over to slap her butt playfully.

"Can't wait, baby." He smirked.

Haley blushed slightly before heading off to get ready.

NALEY

Deb and Haley sat in the kitchen and talked while Nathan and Dan carried everything into their new apartment.

"Wow! You guys are a great help." Nathan said sarcastically, earning an eye roll from Haley.

"Whatever, babe. I tried to help, but you sent me away."

"Hales, you were trying to take the chair. You could have hurt yourself!" Nathan honestly didn't want Haley helping. He wanted to keep her safe and make sure she stayed that way. Ever since John, Nathan had been extremely over- protective of her. He didn't want her trying to carry heavy boxes up to their second story apartment. He just needed to complain for a little bit.

Once everything was unloaded from the car, Haley and Deb let the guys relax while they put everything away. Nathan tried to help, but got sent away.

So, Nathan ad Dan got the TV hooked up and put the couch in the living room. They decided to watch an old basketball game while their wives got everything set up.

A couple of hours later, the apartment was finally finished. Deb and Dan decided to head home. Nathan and Haley thanked them for all of their help before heading back inside to relax.

Nathan plopped down on the couch and pulled Haley onto his lap. Haley sighed and curled up in his lap, cuddling into his strong, muscular chest. Nathan leaned down and softly kissed her forehead.

"So, baby, what do you think of our apartment?" Nathan asked.

"I love it, but I gotta say, if someone had told me a couple of years ago that you and I would end up married and living in our own apartment before our senior year started, I never would have believed it."

"Me either, Hales, but I am so happy. I love waking up next to you every morning, knowing that it's going to be this way for the rest of my life."

"Me too." Haley smiled.

"So, any chance we could get started christening this place?"

Haley didn't respond. Instead, she answered by turning around and pushing her lips against his. Nathan groaned and started to rub his hands up and down her back while Haley ran her hands across his amazing abs. They had a full blown make out session going on when the doorbell rang.

They both tried to ignore it, but it didn't stop. Finally, Nathan pulled away from Haley, clearly frustrated. Haley groaned and pushed herself up off of the couch to get the door.

She opened it up, Nathan not far behind. Outside, was a cheery redhead dressed in short shorts and a red sports bra and a less than thrilled looking blonde dressed in black skinny jeans and a rocker tee.

The redhead quickly spoke. "Hi, I'm Rachel and this is Peyton. We live in apartment 20, just down there." She pointed to the door of their apartment. "We just came to say hi and meet the new people."

"Oh, hi. I'm Haley and this is Nathan."

"So, what are you two? Brother and sister?" The redhead asked. Haley noticed that she was openly checking Nathan out and was not happy. She was about to snap at the slutty girl, when Nathan stepped in.

"Actually, Haley is my wife." He said, pulling Haley into his side. She smiled up at him and he winked back at her.

"Oh." Rachel said, clearly disappointed. She wanted Nathan. Even though she had just met him and hadn't really even spoken to him, it didn't take much to see just how incredibly hot he was. She was determined to have him, even if it meant breaking up a marriage. "You guys look really young, though. I though you were in high school."

"We are." Nathan spoke again. "We just decided that if we love each other, why wait, so we got married about four months ago."

Finally, the blonde spoke. Although she looked sort of moody, Haley immediately noticed how nice she was. "Married? Wow! I can't even manage to keep a boyfriend for very long without having all of the emotional issues. You guys are really lucky."

"Thanks." Haley decided that Peyton might not make such a bad friend.

"So, I guess we'll see you soon then. We just moved here a month ago, and we're going to be seniors this year."

"Hey, us too!" Haley said. Although she really didn't like Rachel, Peyton was seeming like she would be a great friend.

"Awesome! So, do you guys wanna meet for lunch tomorrow at like noonish."

"Sure. Do you wanna meet at Karen's Café? It's right in the center of town, and it has the best food."

"Sounds good. See you tomorrow." Peyton said. Rachel, meanwhile, was plotting on how to get some alone time with Nathan.

Nathan and Haley went back into their apartment. Nathan was glad that Haley seemed to like Peyton. Although she was funny and sweet, Haley had a tough time making other friends. She had Brooke, Lucas, Nathan, and the Rivercourt guys that they had hung out with since third grade, but Haley had never really had much luck with making girl friends. She had always gotten along better with the guys.

Nathan was torn out of his thoughts by Haley kissing him.

"Ready to pick up where we left off, Scott?" She asked seductively, biting her bottom lip because she knew that it drove him crazy.

"Absolutely!" He leaned down to capture her lips once again.

**I really hope you liked it! Please review! I love them, good or bad! They make me write faster and better!**


	21. Chapter 20

**Ch.20**

Thanks to all of my readers! Especially all of my dedicated reviewers! You guys make me want to keep writing faster! I'll try to make this chapter longer for you guys! xoxo

As the sun shone brightly into the bedroom, Haley slowly started to wake up. When she opened her eyes and looked up, she saw Nathan staring back at her.

"A little creepy, don't you think? Watching me sleep?"

"If you would stop being so damn beautiful, maybe I wouldn't."

Haley blushed.

Even though it was only them in the apartment, Nathan leaned down to whisper in her ear. "You are so cute when you blush. It's a real turn on."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah." Nathan said as he leaned down to capture her lips in a searing kiss.

Just as things were starting to heat up between the two, the alarm on the clock went off.

Nathan groaned in frustration as Haley pulled away to turn it off.

"We better start getting ready." She said before leaning down to give Nathan one last kiss before she got up.

"Yeah, okay. What time are we meeting Rachel and Peyton?"

"Around noon. Why?"

"Well, I was just thinking."

"That's scary." Haley said jokingly.

"Ha-Ha." Nathan deadpanned, sticking his tongue out at her.

"I'm sorry, babe. What were you thinking?" Haley asked in amusement.

"It would totally save time and water if we showered together." He smirked and wiggled his eyebrows.

"You know what? I think you're right. Care to join me Mr. Scott?"

Haley laughed as Nathan quickly jumped off of the bed and dragged her into the bathroom, slamming the door behind them.

They came out half an hour later. Both had silly grins plastered on their faces.

"Well, I have to say, that was the best shower I've ever had. Smart idea, Nate."

"I agree. Care to make that a regular thing?"

Haley just laughed and continued to get ready.

NALEY

Despite all of the interruptions from Nathan while trying to get ready, they managed to make it to the café on time.

They looked around for a second before hearing Rachel. "Nate over here!"

Haley noticed that Rachel didn't say her name, and she couldn't help but feel a little angry at her. She saw Rachel check Nathan out yesterday and knew that she was up to no good by the look in her eye.

Today, Rachel was dressed in tight, low rise jeans and a tight sweatshirt with only her bra underneath it. Peyton was wearing regular jeans and a black tank with an orange off the shoulder shirt on top.

Haley was trying to be nice, but on the inside she couldn't help but think what a slut Rachel was.

As soon as they ordered, Nathan intertwined his and Haley's hands under the table and held them on his lap.

Rachel noticed this and decided that it was time to put her plan of getting Nathan into action.

"So, how did you two meet?" Rachel faked interest while leaning over so that Nathan could see down her shirt.

Nathan didn't even notice, he just turned to Haley and smiled. They proceeded to tell the story of how they met when they were three and instantly became best friends.

Rachel decided that her first plan of getting Nathan to notice her hadn't worked. However, she had many more plans. She was never one to give up so easily.

"You know, I hear that this high school first love, marriage shit never really works out. I mean come on, you are so young. You're bound to find someone you love more and then you're gonna have to go through the whole divorce mess."

"Rachel!" Peyton cut her off, glaring at her.

Nathan could tell that Haley was about to explode and tear Rachel's head off. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

"That may be true for some, but not us. I've known that Haley was the one for me since kindergarten."

"Aww that's sweet," Rachel said in a sarcastic voice. "But, you know what people say, 'Just because two people have history, doesn't mean they're supposed to be together'." She smiled flirtatiously at Nathan.

Haley just glared at her.

Then, she turned and started talking to Peyton more and realized what a great friend she was. They talked through lunch while Rachel continued to stare at Nathan and smile seductively at him.

Finally, they decided to leave.

"Okay, Peyton, so I'll see you tomorrow and we'll go shopping." Haley smiled.

"Can't wait! It'll be a lot of fun."

"Okay, see ya!"

"Bye!"

"She seems nice." Nathan commented when they got in the car.

"She is. I think she could be a great friend."

"That's good."

"I just hope Rachel doesn't come with us tomorrow."

"Yeah, she seemed interesting." Nathan commented.

"She's a bitch!" Haley exclaimed.

"Whoa! Strong words." Nathan laughed.

"Oh come on, Nate. She practically threw herself at you while telling us how our marriage won't last."

"Yeah, well, she's wrong. I'm gonna love you forever, Haley Scott." He smiled.

"Always and Forever?" She asked softly, looking down.

Nathan pulled her chin up so that she was looking him in the eye. "Always and Forever." He confirmed. "I promise you baby."

He leaned over and tenderly kissed her.

NALEY

The next day, Haley was freaking out. She was late, and not just a couple of days. She was over a week late and having a panic attack. At first she thought that maybe she was just being paranoyed and decided to just forget about it, but now it was really starting to freak her out. She was never over a day late.

She called Brooke, who set up an appointment for her at the doctor's office after calming her down. She didn't want to talk to Nathan about this unless she knew for sure that it was true. She was scared to tell him. What if he thought that she did it on purpose? They both had so much left to do in life! How was Nathan supposed to play basketball in college and help support her and a baby?

Brooke called her back after a few minutes and informed her that she had an appointment the next day at the doctors' office out by UNC because she didn't want to risk someone catching her at the regular doctor's office in Tree Hill. Haley was going to meet Brooke at her and Lucas' apartment, and then Brooke was going to drive her to the appointment and pick her up.

Haley made her promise not to tell Lucas, even though she knew that she could trust Brooke. She was an extremely loyal and helpful friend.

She took a deep breath and went off to try to enjoy her shopping trip with Peyton, pushing all of her worries to the back of her mind.

**Please review and let me know what you think! The next chapter will contain a lot of drama!**


	22. Chapter 21

**Ch.21**

**Thanks for the reviews! You guys are awesome! I hope you enjoy the next chapter! This is the longest chapter in the story so far, so I hope it's okay!**

"Nathan?" Haley called from the living room.

"Yeah?"

"I'm about to take off. I have to meet Peyton in 15 minutes at the mall."

"Okay." Nathan said walking out of the bedroom. "I'll see you later!" He leaned down to kiss her.

"I should be back in a few hours." Haley said, looking away quickly.

Nathan could tell that something was bothering her, but he wanted her to have a good time with Peyton so he decided to let it go for now. He would just have to ask her later.

NALEY

As Haley was walking out the door, she noticed that Peyton was just coming out of her apartment too.

"Hey!" She called.

"Hey, Haley. You wanna ride with me since we're going together anyway?"

"Sure. Sounds great." Haley said as she climbed into Peyton's car.

On the way there, Peyton noticed that Haley was being really quiet. She didn't know her that well, but from what Nathan had said, she was always talkative and rambled a lot.

"Hey? You okay?" She asked her.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine. Just dealing with some stuff, I guess."

Peyton nodded. "Okay. Well, if you ever wanna talk, I'm here."

Haley smiled for the first time that day. "Thanks, Peyton. I'm really glad I met you."

"Oh you should be! I'm an amazing person!" Peyton tried to say seriously, but couldn't control the laugh that came out right after.

Haley joined in. She just had to let go of her problems for right now. Worrying all day wouldn't help her anyway, it would just make her more nervous for the next day.

NALEY

Meanwhile, with Haley gone, Rachel decided that it would be the perfect opportunity for some alone time with Nathan to show him what he was missing.

She put on a short jean skirt and a tight black halter that showed off her midriff and headed over to his apartment.

As she waited for him to answer the door, she fixed her top, trying to show off as much skin as possible. She got it in place just as Nathan opened the door. He was in basketball shorts with no shirt.

"Hey, Rachel. What's up?"

"Well, since Haley and Peyton are hanging out, I thought it would be the perfect time for us to hang out together and get to know each other."

Nathan knew that Haley wouldn't like this. She hated Rachel, and if she found out that he spent the whole day with just him and Rachel in their apartment, she would be pissed. However, Rachel seemed nice and he couldn't tell her to leave when she hadn't even done anything.

Nathan decided that it wouldn't hurt to hang out with her for a few hours. Besides, he could always send her home before Haley got back.

"Sure. Just let me grab my shirt."

"Oh you don't need that." Rachel smirked.

Nathan laughed, but still headed to his room to grab a shirt. He threw it on and walked back out.

"So, what did you wanna do?"

Rachel looked around the apartment quick to see what he was interested in. She spotted his play station and an NBA Live game. She picked the game up.

"How about this? I bet I can kick your ass!"

"You're on!" Nathan said. _Rachel seems nice_, he thought, _maybe she was just having an off day the last time we saw her._

Rachel was smirking beside him. Her plan was working. Soon, Nathan Scott would be all hers.

NALEY

Haley and Peyton had been shopping for about three hours now. Both had an armful of bags.

"Nathan is going to kill me!" She laughed.

"Not once he sees what you got." She smirked.

Haley laughed and blushed slightly, thinking back to the stop that they had made at Victoria's Secret.

"Nathan Scott is going to blow a fuse when he sees you in that." Peyton said.

"You think so?" Haley asked.

"Oh, I know so."

Both of them started to laugh.

"What do you say we go get something to eat and then call it a night?" Peyton asked.

"God yes! I'm exhausted." Haley said. Although it wasn't as bad as shopping with Brooke, it ahd still been a long day.

"Okay, let's go then." Peyton said, heading for the car.

Once in the car, Haley decided to call Nathan and tell him. She got the answering machine. "Hey, Nate, it's me. I just wanted to let you know that Peyton and I are going to go get something to eat and then I'll be home. I'll see you in a little while. Love you! Bye."

NALEY

Nathan didn't even hear the phone. He was too busy concentrating on beating Rachel. She was better at videogames than he thought she would be. So far, they were tied in the number of games they had won, and Nathan was determined to beat her in this last game.

"You're going down, Gatina!" He exclaimed.

"In your dreams." Rachel laughed.

"No, that's Haley in my dreams!" Nathan smirked and wiggled his eyebrows.

Rachel was pissed now. She had been with him all day in this skimpy outfit and he was still thinking about his boring, plain wife.

She was so distracted that she missed Nathan make another basket, winning the game.

"Yes!" He jumped up off of the couch!

"Nice game!" Rachel said. She decided that it was time to kick things up a notch. She knew that there was one more way to try and get Nathan, and she was going to go for it. "I guess I'll get going now."

"Okay." Nathan said as he walked to the door to let her out.

NALEY

Peyton and Haley had gotten back from supper, and were now heading up the stairs with all of their bags. They stopped a couple of times when one of them would accidently drop a bag and the stuff would all fall down the stairs. By the time they made it to the top, they were both in complete hysterics.

Haley's soon stopped, and her face turned deathly pale.

Peyton turned to look at her.

"Hales, are you okay? You look like you just saw a ghost."

"Haley snapped out of her daze. "Uh, I gotta go, Peyt." She said as she quickly turned around and rushed down the stairs.

"Okay." Peyton said, confused as to what had Haley so upset. When she turned around, however, she was no longer confused.

Standing in the doorway to Haley and Nathan's apartment were Rachel and Nathan. Their lips were fused together in a kiss.

"Bitch!" Peyton said under her breath. "Well, there's another relationship the little home wrecker has ruined."

Peyton turned away and went into her apartment, cussing Rachel out under her breath. Sure, they were roommates, but Rachel only had some sweet moments, the rest of the time she was a conniving little bitch. Peyton headed to her room and threw her bags down.

She tried to call Haley's cell to make sure she was okay, but it seemed to be off because all of the calls went straight to voicemail. She was going to kill Rachel. Peyton really liked Haley, and although Haley wouldn't go into detail, she knew that she had trouble with a past relationship. She had told her at supper that Nathan was the only guy she trusted with her heart and body. It seems that he ruined that.

Peyton now got why people said, 'There's no such thing as forever'. If anyone could last forever, she thought for sure that it would be Nathan and Haley. Now there was no hope left for anyone as far as she was concerned.

**Please review! I know that a lot of you hate Rachel and probably want to kill me for this chapter, but I promise to make it up to you!!**


	23. Chapter 22

**Ch.22**

**Thanks for the amazing reviews! I agree, Rachel is a ho! This chapter is going to go back and show how the kiss between Nathan and Rachel started and then pick up where the last chapter left off! Enjoy! xoxo**

Nathan got to the door and pulled it open. "See ya later, Rach."

"Definitely, Nate. This was fun!" She said as she winked at him.

Before Nathan knew what was happening, Rachel was kissing him. He was shocked, so he didn't do anything about it at first. Rachel took this as a sign to keep going. She feverishly pushed her mouth onto his, trying to get him to respond. When he finally registered what was happening, he roughly pushed Rachel off of him.

"What the hell was that?"

"A kiss, Nathan. Come on, anyone can see the obvious attraction between us!" She smirked, thinking she had gotten her way.

"Rachel, I'm married! There is no attraction between us!"

"Oh, come on Natey. Why would you stay with some loser like Haley when you could have me instead?"

"Just stay away from us! Haley is everything to me! She is my life! I'm not going to let you ruin what took me 15 years to get!" Nathan shouted as he slammed the door shut.

All he could think of now was how to tell Haley. He knew how insecure she was since John. This would break her heart. Maybe the best thing to do was to pretend like it never happened. Yeah, he would protect Haley and just not tell her.

He looked over and saw the light blinking on the answering machine. He pressed play. Perfect! Haley would e home soon. All he wanted to do was go to bed and cuddle up with his gorgeous wife.

NALEY

Haley called a cab and told it to meet her a couple blocks away. She couldn't stand outside the apartment and watch Nathan and Rachel kiss. It was too hard. Nathan was supposed to be the one to save her, but now she saw that he was just like every other guy.

Five minutes later, the cab pulled up. Haley slowly climbed inside and gave the driver the address of where she was going.

The driver looked in the rearview mirror and noticed the tearstains on the girls face.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Not really." She said softly.

"What's the matter?"

"I just learned some things tonight."

"If you wanna talk, I'm a great listener. Besides, we got about an hour and a half drive ahead of us."

Haley smiled slightly. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Why do guys always screw you over for fake, plastic bimbos?"

"Is that why you're crying? You're boyfriend cheated on you?" He asked gently.

"Close. My husband did."

The driver gave her a small smile. "I couldn't tell you why, but I can tell you that he's an idiot. If he was stupid enough to cheat on a nice, pretty girl like you, then he doesn't deserve you."

"Thanks, but he's not an idiot. I should have seen this coming anyway. He deserves better than a mess like me."

The driver was going to respond, but he saw Haley turn to look out the window and decided that she probably didn't want to talk about it right now with a complete stranger.

NALEY

After two hours, at around eight, when Haley still had not come home, Nathan started to get worried. He tried her cell phone three times, but it was off.

He decided to go see if Peyton was home and if Haley was hanging out there. Maybe they were having a good time and decided to watch a movie or something.

As he got closer to Rachel and Peyton's apartment, he saw someone sitting outside of the door. When he got closer, he saw that it was Rachel. He ignored her and went to knock on the door. Before he could, Rachel started talking to him.

"You're wasting your time. Peyton is royally ticked off and won't even let me in."

"Why? What did you do now?"

"You might wanna rephrase that. The real question is 'What did we do?' Peyton saw us kissing."

Nathan heart stopped. "Wait, so if Peyton saw then that means that…"

"Haley saw us too? Yeah." Rachel grinned, obviously pleased with herself.

"Shit!" Nathan cursed under his breath. "Is Haley in there with Peyton?"

"I don't know! Peyton just cursed me out and slammed the door in my face. I guess you and I will have to entertain ourselves out here, and I'm pretty much talked out. You wanna make out?"

Nathan rolled his eyes at her and banged on the door.

Peyton whipped it open, expecting it to be Rachel again. When she saw that it was Nathan, she laughed. "Great. Now the man-whore himself is here? Can I help you?"

"I need to see Haley, Peyton! What you guys saw was nothing!"

"Oh yeah, I'm sure Rachel tripped and her lips accidently landed on yours. Right?" Peyton quipped sarcastically.

"Peyton please! Just let me talk to Haley!"

"Even if I wanted to, I couldn't. She took off when we saw you guys."

"Took off where?" Nathan asked as panic took over him. It was not safe for Haley to be out alone at night.

"I don't know. We didn't really do much talking after she saw her jackass of a husband cheating on her!"

"Look, Peyton, I know you're pissed, okay? But, please, you need to help me!"

"I can't and on top of that, I won't help you! I hope you two have a great life together!" Peyton slammed the door shut.

"See? Told you." Rachel said, still at her place on the ground.

"Shut-up, Rachel."

Nathan decided to go back to the apartment and keep trying Haley. Maybe she went to his parent's or one of the guys' houses.

NALEY

"Here we are."

Haley paid the driver and quickly got out of the cab. She needed to talk to Brooke. Brooke would help her. She had been one of her closest friends since Haley was twelve and Brooke and Lucas first started dating.

She knocked on Brooke and Lucas's dorm room door and waited. A few seconds later, Brooke whipped open the door to find a sad, broken Haley.

"Haley! What's wrong?" She asked, pulling the younger girl into a hug.

Haley only uttered one word. "Nathan."

"Come on. I've got a freezer full of cookie dough and chocolate brownie ice cream."

Brooke gave Haley a pair of sweats and one of Lucas's big baggy sweatshirts to change into while she went and got the food.

As Brooke was getting the food, Lucas walked in.

"Hey, Hales!" He quickly noticed that something was wrong and went over to sit by Haley.

Haley quickly turned and hugged the boy that she considered her brother.

"What's wrong, Haley?" He asked, concerned for her.

"I got everything." Brooke announced, balancing all the food as she set it down on the table.

"So, what happened, Hales?" Brooke asked.

As she told them the story, Brooke hugged her and Lucas rubbed her back.

"It's gonna be okay." Brooke tried to soothe her.

"I'm gonna kill him! He may be my brother, but I can't and won't support him for doing this!" Lucas was furious.

"Luke, he's your brother."

"I don't care! Hales, I watched him pine for you for years. I just can't believe that he would screw that up."

"Yeah, I can't believe Nate would do something like this!' Brooke said, trying to hold in her anger for Haley's sake. "Lucas and I will take you to your appointment tomorrow morning, okay?"

Haley nodded.

Lucas stopped. "Wait. What appointment?"

NALEY

Nathan called his parents, Skills, and Junk. No one knew where Haley was. He was starting to freak out.

**Wow! That was actually pretty long! I hope you guys like it! Please Review!!**


	24. Chapter 23

**Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad you guys seem to like the story! I hope you like this chapter!! Okay, someone asked what appointment Brooke was talking about. It was the one for Haley mentioned in one of the earlier chapters. Yes, it is to see if she's pregnant! If you have any other questions feel free to ask!**

Ch.23

"Haley has a doctor appointment tomorrow morning, Lucas." Brooke told him.

"Why? What's wrong, Hales? Are you sick?" Lucas looked concerned.

Haley broke down and started to cry again. "I think I'm pregnant, Lucas."

Lucas just stared at Haley in disbelief. Finally, he spoke, "Brooke and I are always her for you. You know that, right?"

Haley nodded and buried her head in Lucas's chest.

"Hey, what about me?" Brooke asked as they hugged.

"Get in here, Tigger." Haley said softly, using Brooke's old nickname.

* * *

Nathan was losing his mind. He had to find Haley. He would never forgive himself if he messed this up with her. He needed her back. Okay, he had to think. Where was the one place that Haley would go if she was upset? Their stream in the woods? No, she wouldn't go there; it would be too easy for him to find her. Suddenly, it struck him. He knew where Haley was. Nathan went for the phone so fast that he nearly tripped. He quickly grabbed it and dialed the number.

* * *

Lucas, Haley, and Brooke's hug ended when they heard the phone ring.

"I'll get it." Brooke said, walking over to pick up the phone.

She took one last look back at Lucas and Haley and smiled. The smile quickly faded when she answered the phone. She quietly snuck into her and Lucas's room before she spoke.

"What the hell do you want?" Brooke asked.

"I'm guessing you talked to Haley."

Brooke stayed silent.

"Listen, Brooke, please just tell me if Haley is there. I'm freaking out. I need to know if my wife is okay."

"Oh, she's perfect, other than the waterworks that start every few minutes."

"She's crying?" Nathan sounded so broken and Brooke could tell that he was hurting. She felt bad for him for a second. However, that feeling went away quickly when she remembered what he did.

"What do you think? Her man whore of a husband cheated on her for god sakes. You know, Nate, I watched you wait for Haley for all these years. I just can't believe you would ruin it like this."

"I wouldn't. Brooke, you know me! You know that I wouldn't do this!"

"Haley saw you, Nathan! You can't really get out of this one!"

"Please, Brooke! I feel terrible!"

"Oh, that's great. You feel terrible. Well, you know what, so does your wife."

"I know. Please, just let me talk to her. I need to tell her what really happened."

"No."

"Brooke" Nathan started.

"No! You've already upset her enough for one night."

Nathan sighed heavily, and Brooke could hear Haley starting to cry again in the other room.

"I have to go, Nate. I have to go comfort your wife who's crying again."

Brooke hung up before Nathan could respond.

He buried his head in his hands. What was he supposed to do now? God, all he really wanted to do was go and hug Haley. He couldn't stand it when she cried, especially when he wasn't there to comfort her.

Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. He got up off of the couch, grabbed his keys, and drove.

* * *

Brooke went back out to the living room and heard Haley and Lucas talking.

"What am I supposed to do if I am pregnant, Luke? I know I have you and Brooke, and I love you guys so much, but you're just not Nathan."

"Well, you got me there." Lucas said, trying to get Haley to smile. It didn't work.

"I'm serious. I need Nathan. I can't do this without him."

"Hales, lets just make sure you're right before we jump to conclusions, okay?"

Haley nodded.

"Try to get some sleep, Hales." Brooke said.

"Okay." Haley said. She was so exhausted that she fell right to sleep.

Lucas and Brooke headed back to their room.

* * *

Nathan got to the UNC campus at midnight. He knew that it was late, but he had to see Haley.

He knocked on the door about ten times before Lucas whipped it open.

"What do you want, Nate?" He said tiredly.

"I need to see her, man."

"Nate, it's late. She's had a rough day and she's exhausted. I'm not going to wake her up so that you can upset her again."

"I'm not going to upset her again, Luke. I just need to see her."

"Sorry man." Lucas said before shutting the door.

Nathan sat down against the wall outside of the door. Haley had to come out sometime, and when she did, he would be waiting.

* * *

"Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty." Brooke said cheerily the next morning.

Haley groaned and pulled the pillow over her head.

"Ah ah ah!" Brooke said, whipping the pillow off of her head and throwing it across the room.

"I hate you!" Haley said.

"Oh you know that's a lie. You love me!" Brooke said. "You'll really love me when you look up and see what I've got!"

Haley slowly looked up and saw that Brooke was holding a coffee cup and a muffin.

"Okay, maybe I love you."

"Oh I know you do! Now hurry up and get dressed. We have to leave soon.

Haley reached for the coffee.

Brooke whipped it away. "Nope. You don't get this until you're dressed and ready to go.

Haley groaned and Brooke just laughed.

Thirty minutes later, Haley was ready to go. Since, she dropped her bags outside of Peyton's apartment, she ahd to borrow some more of Brooke's clothes.

Haley was about to open the door to leave but was stopped by Brooke's hand.

"Uh, I think we'll go out the back way." Brooke said.

"Brooke, it's a dorm room. There's only one door."

Nuh-uh! Come with me."

As Brooke helped Haley climb out of the window, Haley just glared at Brooke.

"Do you want to explain to me why we just crawled out of the window when you have a perfectly good door?"

"Oh quit complaining. You're just lucky we're on the ground floor." Brooke grinned. "I would have loved to see you climb out of a second story window!"

"Brooke?"

"Fine! We went out the window because your man whore was outside the door. You know that if he saw you, he would follow us, and I know that you want to keep this a secret until you know for sure if you're pregnant or not."

"Thanks, Brooke, but could you do me a favor?"

"Another?! God, Hales, this is getting a little overwhelming." Brooke laughed.

Haley smiled at her. "Please, Brooke."

"Anything, Hales." Brooke said sincerely.

"Can you quit calling Nathan a man whore?"

"I make no promises!" Brooke said, smiling again.

* * *

Haley and Brooke had made it to the appointment, and were just waiting for the results.

"Hales, I just want you to remember that I'm here for you no matter what. Lucas and I will always help you!"

"Thanks, Brooke."

Brooke just nodded.

After what seemed like forever, the doctor finally came back into the room. Brooke and Haley both stared at him nervously.

"Well, Haley, you are…"

**Please review, good or bad! I know you're going to kill me for the cliffhanger, but I hope you still like it!!**


	25. Chapter 24

**Ch.24**

**Sorry for the wait! I was at my grandma's house and she doesn't have a computer! I am really sorry!! But thank you so much for reviewing! I was so happy to come home and see all of your awesome reviews! Thank you so much!! I hope you like the next chapter!! xoxo **

"Well, Haley, you are definitely pregnant. Congratulations" The doctor said.

Haley just stared at him. She had been almost positive that she was pregnant, but hearing it be confirmed mad all of her old worries come back.

"I'm going to need some information from you." The doctor continued.

"Okay." Haley said shakily.

"First off, I'm going to need the father's name."

Haley could feel the tears pushing against her eyes, but she was determined to not let them come out.

"Um, do you think that I could just give this information to my regular doctor when I get home?"

"Oh, sure. I'll fax your stuff over now!"

"Thanks."

NALEY

Haley was silent for most of the walk back to the dorms.

"Hales, come on. Talk to me."

"About what?"

"I don't know! What are you thinking about?"

"I'm just thinking of how hard it's going to be to have this baby without Nathan. Brooke, I'm scared. I'm eighteen years old and I am going to be raising a baby by myself! I can't do this, Brooke. I can't!" The tears started to fall and Haley couldn't stop them.

"Haley, listen to me! You are one of the strongest people I know! Look at all of the hell you've been through in your life, yet you still manage to make it through. You can do this, and you won't be alone! I will be there for you every step of the way!"

"Yeah, but I just don't want to fail this kid. I want to be a good mom! I don't want to be like my mom and have my kid hate me!"

"Haley, you are going to be an amazing mom! You are nothing like your mom, and everyone knows that! You are so kind and loving and funny. You are going to be this kid's hero! Just like you are my hero!" Brooke said sincerely.

"Thanks, Brooke!" Haley smiled.

She didn't even realize that Brooke was taking her to the front door of the dorm room until now.

"Brooke! Are you crazy? I can't go this way! Nathan's still there."

"I know! You two need to talk. He's an ass, but he still needs to know that you are having his baby. Plus, if you think that I am crawling in a window again for you, you are seriously mistaken! I've already broken enough nails for today, thank you very much!"

Haley looked scared as they walked over to the door. Nathan had fallen asleep, so Brooke kicked him in the leg.

"Ow, what the…Haley?" He sounded surprised to see Haley standing above him. He quickly stood up. He noticed that she was crying and once again felt guilty.

"You two need to talk, but if you hurt her again, Nate, so help me god I'll beat your ass!" Brooke said as she went into the dorm.

"Don't worry. I'll kick my own ass first!"

Once Brooke was gone, Nathan moved to hug Haley. She quickly moved out of his reach.

"Why? Why did you kiss Rachel? Do you hate me that much?! Am I not good enough for you anymore?"

"No, Haley, you are perfect! You are the only one for me! I love you so much!"

"Then why?" Haley shouted.

"I didn't kiss her, Hales. You have to believe me! I would never hurt you like that!"

"I saw you two, Nathan!"

"Okay, we did kiss, but it was all Rachel. She came over and hung out while you and Peyton were at the mall. I know that it was stupid to hang out with her, but I just figured that maybe she really did just want to get to know me. Everything was going fine. We just played video games and talked, but then, when she was leaving, she turned around and started to kiss me. I was just so shocked. I didn't know what to do at first, but when I finally realized what was happening, I pushed her away. I never kissed her back!"

"Nathan if you want me to go so you two can be together, just say so. I'll leave if it means that you will be truly happy."

"No! Haley, please don't leave me!" Nathan started to cry a little too. "Please! You are the only one that I have ever wanted and will ever want! I love you Haley and I need you! I'm so sorry! I will never ever hurt you again. Just please don't leave me!"

"You're sure that you don't have feelings for Rachel?" Haley had to make sure.

"No! She's just some slut. You are my one and only, Always and Forever!"

Haley couldn't take it anymore. She flung herself at Nathan, who easily caught her, and feverishly pushed her lips to his in a steamy kiss full of passion and love.

Nathan was caught off guard, but immediately responded and deepened the kiss.

Suddenly, the door swung open and Lucas and Brooke started clapping.

"I knew you two would get back together! Looks like you guys don't waste any time, huh?"

"Brooke! Have you two been listening to us this whole time?" Haley asked.

"Well, duh! It's me. Do you really expect me to not eavesdrop to see if you two get back together? Plus, even though he won't admit it, Broody is just as much of a snoop as me!"

Lucas laughed.

"Yeah, Hales, it's Brooke and Lucas. What did you expect?" Nathan asked, also laughing.

"Yeah, I guess, but did you have to interrupt now, Brooke?"

"Well, Haley, we all saw what happened the last time you two got like this." Brooke said, staring at Haley's stomach.

Lucas and Haley's eyes widened and they both turned and stared at Nathan. Brooke quickly realized what she said and covered her mouth. Nathan looked confused.

"What do you mean?" Nathan asked.

"Uh, you know. Last time I saw you guys like that, you ended up ... uh, getting married."

Haley laughed uncomfortably, hoping Nathan believed Brooke's lie.

Luckily, he did and started laughing. "God, Brooke. You are something else. I mean come on, what else could happen to us?" He smiled over at Haley.

She forced a tiny smile, but looked over to Lucas and Brooke worriedly.

"Yeah. What else could happen to us."

NALEY

When they got home, Nathan informed Haley that Peyton had kicked Rachel out. Haley decided to go see her and get her shopping bags from her.

"Okay, I'll see you at home. I love you, Hales."

"I love you too." She smiled.

Haley knocked on Peyton's door. When Peyton finally opened it, they both flung their arms around each other. They hadn't been friends for very long, but they were becoming best friends fast.

"Oh my god, Haley! I was so worried about you!"

"Yeah, well I'm back now! Nathan explained everything, and we're gonna be okay…I hope." Haley said the last part under her breath, but Peyton heard.

"What do you mean 'you hope', Haley? What's going on?"

Haley couldn't hold it in. "I'm pregnant, Peyton."

"Oh."

"And I'm scared to tell Nathan. He's supposed to go to college and become a famous basketball player. He's supposed to be in the NBA and get the perfect life. This changes everything!"

"Hales, it's going to be okay. I don't know Nathan very well, but even I know how much he loves you! He's going to love this baby just as much. His idea of the perfect life is probably growing old with you."

"Thanks, Peyton."

"No problem. Just make sure you tell him soon. The later you tell him, the worse it's going to be."

"Yeah." Haley agreed. I'll go tell him now, I guess."

"Good idea. And remember, Haley. I'm here for you, whatever you need."

Haley nodded and walked out with all of her bags.

She walked slowly to her apartment. It was all going to be fine. Nathan said that he would never hurt her again. He's going to be okay with this. They could make it through.

When Haley finished her little pep talk to herself, she walked into the apartment.

"Hey, baby. Whoa! Is that all of the stuff you bought at the mall?"

Haley nodded.

Nathan noticed the Victoria's Secret bag and tried to look in it. Haley slapped his hand away, though.

"Hey! I just wanted to see."

"Maybe later. You have to earn it first." She tried to flirt with him, but Nathan saw right through it.

"What wrong, Hales?"

"Uh, Nate, can we talk."

Nathan looked nervous, but agreed. "Sure."

They sat down on the couch and Nathan looked at her nervously.

"So, what's going on with you, baby?"

**Sorry to leave it there! In the next chapter, Haley will tell Nathan and you will see his reaction. I'm going to let you guys decide. Should Nathan be happy about it or should he freak out? Please review and let me know! Thanks!**


	26. Chapter 25

**Ch.25**

**Thanks for the amazing reviews. I took all of your votes into consideration! I hope you guys like the chapter! xoxo **

"Well, there's really no easy way to tell you this."

"Haley, you can tell me anything. You know that." Nathan rubbed small circles soothingly on her back.

"I'm pregnant." Haley mumbled.

Nathan lifted her chin so that she was looking at him. "What was that?"

"I'm pregnant." Haley said more clearly.

"Oh… Like pregnant, pregnant?"

"Yeah." Haley said confused.

"Like, you're having a baby?"

"Yeah. We are having a baby. There's a bun in the oven, a roast on slow cook, a baby."

Nathan stayed silent.

"Nate?"

"How long have you known?"

"Well, I've been worrying about it for a couple of weeks, and then Brooke and I found out for sure at the doctor's this morning."

"Wait. Brooke knew?"

"Well, yeah. I called her when I was freaking out one day and she set up the appointment. Brooke and Lucas knew how hard it was for me so they agreed to help."

"Lucas knew too?!" Nathan started yelling.

"Yeah. After you kissed Rachel and I went there, I told him." Haley said softly.

"Who else knew before me?" Nathan was ticked.

"I told Peyton right now, but that's it."

"Oh, it's so nice of you to finally tell me. I thought it meant something that we were married, but now I see where I stand on the list!"

"Nathan, it's not like that! We are in high school. I just wanted to know for sure before I told you. I didn't want you to freak out on me." Haley said, tears forming in her eyes.

"You mean like I'm doing now? I'm your husband Haley! I think I had a right to know!"

"I was going to tell you soon."

"Yeah. Just as soon as you told everyone else, right?"

"No. I just didn't know what to do! I didn't know how to tell you. This is all so huge! I just wanted to know what they thought."

Nathan had no idea what to say.

"Nathan..." Haley started to cry.

Then, Nathan realized what a jackass he was being. Haley was having his child. This was one of the greatest days of his life. He knew that she must have been so scared of how to tell him and of what he would say. Before he could say anything, Haley spoke.

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

"Don't be. You have nothing to be sorry for, Hales. You must have been so scared. Were you afraid of what I would say?" Nathan asked gently.

She slowly nodded.

Nathan used his thumb to wipe away the tears falling down her face.

"I'm sorry I was an ass, Hales. I was just shocked, but I promise you that I have never been happier in my life. Well, maybe on the day that I married you, but this runs a pretty close second."

Haley smiled up at him. "So you're really okay with this?"

"Okay with this? Haley we're going to have a kid! This is amazing. I love you so much!"

He leaned down and tenderly kissed her.

"I'm sorry that you had to go through this alone. I want you to know, that you can tell me anything. I know that I freaked out on you about this, but I promise that it will never happen again. Okay?"

Haley smiled. "I love you, Nathan Scott.

"I love you too, Hales!"

"So, does this mean that you will come with me to my doctor's appointment next week?"

"Of course. What's it for?"

"Well, I have to give all of our information to my regular doctor, and then they are going to do the first ultrasound."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." He said sincerely as he leaned down to kiss her again.

NALEY

One week later, Nathan was at the doctor's appointment with Haley, just like he said he would be. They found out that Haley was about 8 weeks along.

"Okay. Now that I have all of your information, would you two like to see your baby?" The doctor asked.

"Of course." Nathan responded, finding Haley's hand and lacing their fingers together.

"Okay." The doctor got everything ready and showed them their child.

"Wow!" Nathan said quietly.

"That's amazing." Haley whispered.

"I'm going to go print you two off a picture. Haley, you can get dressed. Unless you have any questions, I think we're done here."

"I have just one question." Haley said.

"Okay, what is that?"

"Shouldn't I have morning sickness or something?"

"Oh don't worry. That might not come until the second or third trimester." The doctor smiled.

"Okay."

NALEY

After the appointment, they decided that they should probably tell Deb and Dan.

Nathan walked into the house. "Mom? Dad? Are you guy's home?"

"In the kitchen, Nathan!"

They walked in.

"Hey, you two! Do you wanna join us for lunch?" Deb asked.

"Sure, but can we talk to you first?"

"Of course." Dan said. "Have a seat."

Once they sat, both Deb and Dan waited for one of them to tell them what was going on.

Nathan decided that it was best to just throw it out there. "Mom, dad, Haley's pregnant."

They both stopped. They were shocked, but they knew that Nathan and Haley were probably freaking out. They had to stay strong for them.

"Are you sure?" Dan asked.

"Yeah. Here's the ultrasound picture." Nathan pulled it out and showed them.

Deb started to cry. "Oh my god. That's great you two!" She pulled them each into a hug.

"Nathan, what did I tell you son? I called that you would get Haley pregnant soon."

They both started to laugh, relieved that his parents were taking it okay.

"So, you're not mad?" Haley asked.

"Of course not dear. We will help you in anyway we can!"

"Thanks mom." Nathan said.

"So, are you going to tell your parents, Haley?" Dan asked cautiously.

"No." Haley said. "They have no right to know."

Nathan thought that Haley would start crying as she talked about her parents, but surprisingly, she was fine.

They all sat around talking about the baby as they ate lunch. Deb and Dan told them that they would watch him or her while Nathan and Haley were in school. Haley was due in the early summer, not long after graduation. Nathan's parents wanted them to still be able to go to college, so they offered to help when they were in classes.

Nathan and Haley left after lunch, happy that his parent's had taken it so well.

**Please review and let me know what you thought! The next chapter is going to jump ahead a little so Haley will be going into her fourth month. Nathan is going to get his first dose of hormones and food cravings! I promise you that it will be awesome! haha**


	27. Chapter 26

**Thanks for the reviews! You guys are awesome! Thanks to all of you who take the time to tell me what you like and don't like about the story! It really helps! **

**okay, I know that it's not very realistic that Nathan's parents were supportive of them having a baby at 17, but this fit the story! Plus, they did the same thing! I do understand what you mean though! Thanks for letting me know! :)**

Ch.26

Haley was now four months into her pregnancy, and unfortunately, the morning sickness had started a week ago.

She woke up and had that feeling once again, so she gently moved Nathan's arm off of her and ran to the bathroom. She hoped that Nathan would stay asleep. Although he wouldn't admit it, he had been drained the last few weeks. Between basketball practice and a very hormonal wife, he was having a tough time.

Nathan rolled over to pull his wife closer to him, but was instead met with the cold sheets. He slowly got up and looked around. Suddenly, it dawned on him where Haley was. He quickly got off the bed and went into the bathroom.

Seeing Haley with her head hung over the toilet and her hair falling out of her ponytail broke Nathan's heart. He hated that she had to go through this. He knelt down beside her and held her hair back. He also rubbed small circles on her back, hoping that it soothed her at least a little.

When she was finally done, Haley leaned her head back and snuggled into Nathan's chest. He kissed the top of her head softly and wrapped his arms around her protectively.

"I'm sorry." She finally managed to say. "Did I wake you up?"

"No. I got up because when I woke up I realized that my gorgeous wife was missing."

"You should have stayed in bed. I know how tough these past few weeks have been on you."

Nathan smiled. Haley was the one who had to carry their child and she was the one that was woken up with morning sickness, and yet she was worrying about him.

"Hales, stop worrying about me. I'm fine. Now, how about you take a shower and I'll make you some breakfast, okay?"

Haley nodded her head. "Thanks, Nate."

He smiled and walked out to the kitchen.

* * *

Half an hour later, Haley headed into the kitchen. Nathan had just finished the scrambled eggs and bacon and was putting it all on the table.

"Mmm. This looks good."

"Yeah, let's just hope it tastes good." Nathan laughed.

They sat down and started to eat.

Haley's smile faded when she took a bite. This food was missing something.

"What are you doing, Hales?" Nathan asked as Haley dug through the cupboards.

"Just looking for…aha!" Haley exclaimed as she pulled out what she had been looking for.

Nathan watched in disgust as Haley covered her eggs in strawberry jelly. She had been starting to have cravings lately, and each one looked disgusting to Nathan.

Haley noticed the look he was giving her. "What? Your child is hungry! It's not my fault! You know, we wouldn't even be in this situation if it wasn't for you having to christen every room in the apartment!"

"Whoa!" Yeah, and along with the morning sickness and food cravings, Nathan was also blessed with more and more mood swings. When Haley was in a loving mood, she was perfect, but when she was upset about something, watch out.

Nathan decided that maybe joking around would put her in a better mood. "You know, baby, you never really complained about that before!" He smirked cheekily.

Haley screamed in frustration before walking back to their bedroom and slamming the door.

Okay, bad move! Nathan realized that he had a long five months ahead of him. Needless to say, he was not looking forward to them.

Once the dishes were cleaned up, Nathan noticed that it was about time to leave for school. Great, let's just hope that Haley didn't freak out on him again.

He cautiously knocked on the door. "Hales? It's time to leave for school."

A few seconds later, the door burst open and Haley stormed past him. Oh yeah, this would definitely be a fun car ride.

When the car was parked, Haley just got up and went into school, not even looking back at Nathan.

Peyton noticed and walked over to him. Over the past few weeks, they had started talking more since Haley and Peyton had become best friends.

"What was that about, Scott?"

"What?" He asked, even though he knew what Peyton was referring to.

"You know what. What was with the brush off from your wife?"

"Hormones. I made the mistake of making a face at her interesting choice of food this morning."

"Oh, you're in for it now. Don't you know not to mess with a pregnant girl? Besides, it couldn't have been that bad."

"She put strawberry jelly all over her eggs."

Peyton's face instantly turned into one of disgust.

"Yeah." Nathan said, seeing that Peyton had agreed with him.

"She went off on a rant about how it was my fault and how I'm the one that knocked her up in the first place."

"Okay, I know that I don't pay much attention in health class, but I'm pretty positive that it takes two to make a baby." Peyton laughed.

"Thank you! Now how about you try telling Haley that?"

"Uh, no! I'm not going to endure the wrath of Haley!" Peyton joked.

Nathan just groaned.

"Sorry. You are going to have to fix this one yourself." She laughed and walked away.

Nathan thought about it all day and finally came up with a way to make it better. All he had to do was have Peyton keep Haley out of the house for a few hours, which she agreed to do.

Nathan quickly left school after the final bell.

* * *

A few hours later, Nathan was ready. All he had to do now was wait for Haley to get home.

When she did, she gasped at the sight in front of her.

The hallway was lined with rose petals and candles, and the table was set up fancily with candles and a dark red table cloth. Haley started to cry.

Nathan immediately had her in his arms. He knew that it was normal to cry more when you were pregnant, but he still hated it. He never wanted Haley to cry.

"Oh, Nathan, it's beautiful! I'm so sorry for being a bitch this morning." She choked out.

"I'm glad you like it, Hales. And, as for that last comment, you were not a bitch."

"Oh, come on, Nathan. I was pretty mean."

Nathan laughed. "How about this? I promise to deal with as many mood swings and cravings you have as long as you do the actual giving birth part." He smiled.

"Deal." Haley said through tears. "So, what's for supper? Your child is starving."

Nathan chuckled. "My child, huh?"

Haley nodded.

"Well, I thought that I would make your favorite. Nathan helped Haley sit down and then set down a huge bowl of macaroni and cheese in front of her.

"Aww. You're so sweet, Nathan. Thank you!"

"You're welcome."

Once again, Haley got up to search for something to add to it. Nathan promised himself that this time, he wouldn't tick her off.

A few minutes later, Haley sat down and started pouring chocolate syrup all over the macaroni.

"That looks good." Nathan lied as Haley took a huge bite and smiled.

"Do you wanna try some?" She asked.

"No. That's okay."

Come on, Nate." Haley gave him her best pout that she knew he couldn't resist.

"Fine." Nathan gave in and took a small bite and tried not to let it show that he wanted to puke.

After they were done eating, Nathan started to do the dishes. Haley just watched him.

"Uh, Nate?"

"Yeah?" He turned around to look at her.

"I'm kind of having another craving." Haley said as she bit down on her bottom lip.

"Okay, what do you need me to get?" He asked, ready to run out and get whatever other disgusting food combination she could come up with as long as it made her happy.

"It's not that kind of craving." She said shyly.

"Okay." Nathan was confused, but when he saw the look in her eyes, it hit him. "Is it me you're craving, baby?"

Haley nodded before throwing herself into his arms and fusing their lips together.

Nathan carried her to their room and gently laid her down on the bed, which was covered in rose petals.

Haley started to cry softly again.

"Hales, don't cry." He said gently.

"I'm sorry. It's just you're so sweet. I love you so much, Nathan."

Nathan smiled. "I love you too, Mrs. Scott." He said before once again connecting their lips in a tender kiss.

They made love for a few hours before cuddling up together. Haley's head was on Nathan's chest, and he was lovingly holding her against himself.

Once Nathan felt Haley's even breaths on his chest, signaling that she had gone to sleep, Nathan pulled her closer.

"I am gonna love you forever Haley Scott, I promise." He whispered before finally giving into his tired body and falling asleep.

**Once again, I hope you liked the chapter! Please review! I love hearing what you all think of the story!**


	28. Chapter 27

**Your reviews were amazing! I can't thank you all enough! Please let me know if you are still interested in having me continue this story. I planned on having a few more chapters, but let me know!**

Ch.27

The next morning, Haley woke up to Nathan rubbing his hand over her baby bump.

"Hey you." He said when she finally opened her eyes.

Haley smiled. "Hey."

Nathan was about to start talking again, but was interrupted when Haley quickly got out of bed and ran for the bathroom.

He sighed and followed her. He hated that she had to go through all of this.

Just like all the past mornings, Nathan went in and held her hair back.

Half an hour later, the morning sickness had still not stopped. Haley was now in tears as she continued to throw up, and it broke Nathan's heart.

"Hales, maybe you should stay home from school today. It's Friday, so you'll have the whole weekend to make up the work you missed."

Haley shook her head no.

"Come on, baby. Please. It's one day."

Ten minutes later, Haley was finally done vomiting. Nathan pleaded with her to stay home, but there was no point. He knew that Haley was going to go to school whether he liked it or not.

"Hales, promise me that you will come and find me if you feel even the least bit sick."

"I promise." Haley said.

* * *

Luckily, their first class was together, so Nathan would be able to keep an eye on her. As they listened to the teacher go on and on about the quadratic formula, Nathan's mind started to wander.

He was brought out of his daze when he saw Haley's hand fly up out of the corner of his eye.

"Yes, Haley?" The teacher asked.

"Can I be excused?" She said quickly.

The teacher immediately nodded her head. They had all been informed that Haley was pregnant, so they let her go without asking questions.

Haley took off out of the classroom quickly.

Nathan watched her go and knew that he had to go check on her. He looked back at the teacher with pleading eyes. She signaled that it was okay for him to go and Nathan quietly walked out of the room.

He had no idea how he was going to be able to get into the girls bathroom, but luckily, he saw Peyton at the other end of the hall.

"Peyton!" He yelled.

"What's up, Nate?"

"Um Haley's getting sick in the bathroom, so I was wondering if you could, um…"

"Make sure the coast is clear for you?" Peyton laughed.

"Yeah."

"Hang on." Peyton quickly went in. When she came out, she gave Nathan the all clear, so he went in. Peyton stayed to guard the door.

As Nathan headed into the bathroom, he could hear Haley's soft sobs.

He found her in the last stall, curled up on the ground crying.

He immediately had her in his arms and held her until she stopped crying.

When she was done, he kissed her head and looked into her eyes.

"I hate this, Nathan. I can't even pay attention in class because I'm constantly interrupted with morning sickness. You know they really shouldn't call it _morning_ sickness when it happens all fricken day long!"

Nathan chuckled a little. "I know, Hales, but just think. Soon this will all be over and we'll have an amazing child."

"Yeah." Haley said softly.

"Baby, can I please take you home now. I'll leave too and we can go home and spend the day together. I don't want you at school like this."

"No, I'll be fine, Nate. I think it's done for a while."

"Hales…" Nathan tried to protest, but he was cut off.

"I'll be fine. Now, come on. Let's get back to class."

Haley got up and headed to the door while Nathan slowly followed behind.

"Thanks for watching the door, Peyton." Haley said.

"No problem."

They walked off to their next class together.

* * *

Nathan didn't see Haley again until lunch. He was freaking out a little at first when he didn't see her, but he calmed down when he saw Peyton and Haley walking towards him laughing about something.

Peyton had a tray full of food. She had cookies, French fries, chips, and a pop. Haley had just a water.

Nathan quickly noticed this. "Hales, aren't you hungry? You didn't get time for breakfast this morning."

"Not really. As appealing as shoving my face now just to puke it all up later sounds, I think I'll pass." Haley said.

Peyton laughed and threw a French fry at her. "Dude, I'm eating here. I don't wanna hear about that."

Haley laughed and threw the fry back at her.

After a while, Fergie, Skills, Junk, Mouth and Tim joined them at the table.

Peyton and Haley continued to talk while the guys went on and on about basketball.

* * *

Finally, school was over. Nathan was more than ready for a quiet weekend with just Haley.

Haley had other plans though.

"Nathan, I just got off the phone with Brooke. We're going to meet her and Lucas for supper tonight and then Brooke and I are going shopping, okay?" She said as she walked into the livingroom that night.

"But, Hales…" He whined.

"Oh, come on. We'll hang on with Brucas tonight and then we can have the rest of the weekend to ourselves." She leaned down and gave him a soft, teasing kiss.

Nathan groaned when she pulled away. "Fine, but after tonight, you are all mine!"

Haley laughed as she went to get changed.

"Haley!" Brooke squealed as her and Nathan walked into the restaurant.

"Hey!" Haley said. She went to hug Brooke, but she was already down talking to her stomach.

"Hello, baby. I'm your auntie Brooke. I can't wait to meet you! We're going to have so much fun."

They all laughed as Lucas pulled Brooke away from Haley's stomach.

"Hey, Haley." He said as he hugged her.

They all sat down. When the waiter came by to take their orders, Nathan couldn't wait. He had been telling Lucas how Haley had been coming up with all sorts of disgusting food combinations, but Lucas kept saying that they couldn't have been that bad. Just wait until he saw.

"And for you, miss?" The waiter asked Haley.

"I'm going to get some pasta, but can you do me a favor and just have them smother it in hot sauce?"

The waiter gave her a funny look before walking away. Nathan noticed that Lucas and Brooke's faces had visibly paled. He just laughed.

* * *

Haley didn't get home to Nathan until 10:30. She walked in and flung herself down on the couch.

"Rough shopping experience?" He asked, laughing. Everyone knew how much Brooke loved to shop, and they were all scared to go with her.

"Why did I agree to go with Brooke?" She asked, obviously exhausted.

"I couldn't tell you." He said as he walked over and sat beside her on the couch, rubbing her feet softly.

Haley moaned. "Thank you." She said softly. Her feet had been killing her.

"No problem, but you might wanna get some sleep, Mrs. Scott. Trust me; you're going to need it. If I remember correctly, you are all mine for the rest of this weekend." Nathan smirked.

**Please let me know what you think! I know that not a whole lot happened, but I had writers block today! I promise that the next chapter will be better! Please review! Suggestions are always welcome!**


	29. Chapter 28

**Thank you so much for all the reviews! You guys are awesome! Special thanks to ****ANicole**** for the suggestion! I will definetly do a baby shopping part!! Hope you all like the next chapter. I decided to do maybe do a chapter for each month of the pregnancy. Let me know if you think that I should do that! Either way, Haley is 5 months pregnant in this chapter! xoxo**

**Ch.28**

"Good Morning! Rise and Shine!" Haley cheerily called while plopping herself on the bed next to a sleeping Nathan.

True to his word, Saturday was spent in the apartment cuddling and making love. Needless to say, they were both exhausted after staying up until about two in the morning. However, Haley was not going to let him sleep in. He promised her that they would go baby shopping today, and she was not going to let him out of it.

They recently found out that they were going to have a boy. They were both thrilled, and Haley couldn't wait to go out and start buying things for him.

"Time to get up, Nathan!"

Haley laughed as Nathan mumbled something and pulled the pillow over his head.

"Hey!" She yanked the pillow off of his head and he groaned. "Nathan! You promised we could go baby shopping today!"

"Hales, baby, you're only five months along, there will be plenty of time for that later."

"Well, I guess I could always call Brooke. I'm sure she would love to go shopping with me. She's been talking about finding a cute little sailor outfit for our boy."

Nathan sat up quickly. "I'm up!"

Haley laughed. "I see that."

"By the way, there is no way in hell that my son is wearing a sailor outfit!"

"Okay, well I'll let you take that up with Brooke. Now, go get ready!"

"Hang on a second." Nathan said as Haley went to get off the bed. He pulled her up against him and started kissing her.

Haley deepened the kiss, and as soon as Nathan started too respond, she pulled away.

"Come on. There will be plenty of time for that later." She smirked. Nathan sighed, he knew she would throw those words back at him sooner or later.

NALEY

Forty minutes later, they finally made it to the first baby store.

"Aww, Nathan, look at these!" Haley exclaimed as she held up a tiny pair of Crocs.

"Aww!" Nathan mocked while staring at the shoes. "Hales, you know that he won't be able to wear those for months yet, right?"

Haley did the pout that she knew Nathan couldn't resist. He rolled his eyes.

"Fine, put them in the cart."

Haley pumped her fist in the air in triumph.

"Damn puppy dog eyes!" He muttered under his breath.

Half way through the store, the cart was already full.

"God, we are going to have one spoiled child!" Nathan said while eyeing the cart.

"Yeah. You should see what Brooke has for him. We're going to fill up an entire room with all of the stuff he has."

"Yeah." Nathan agreed.

"Hey, um, Nate?"

He turned to look at her.

"Where are we going to put all of this? I mean, our apartment is a only a one bedroom."

"Actually, I was going to talk to you about that."

"Really?"

"Yeah. How would you feel about moving into my parent's house?"

"Nate, we can't just invade your parent's house. That wouldn't be fair to them."

"It was actually their idea. They told me that they always wanted to buy an RV and take off, so they offered us the house."

"Are you serious?"

Nathan nodded and Haley flung herself into his arms. She was now sporting a tiny baby bump, but Nathan could still lift her up like it was nothing.

"Is that a yes?" He asked, laughing.

"Of course!"

NALEY

After another couple of hours, they finally made it to the last store.

Nathan suddenly stopped and stared into an aisle.

"What's wrong, Nate?"

"Look, Hales!" He pointed, getting excited.

Haley looked down the aisle and saw that all of the shelves were dedicated to basketball.

Nathan took off down the aisle, looking like a little kid at Christmas.

Haley had to stop Nathan from his little shopping spree when she noticed him putting a toddler basketball hoop in the cart.

"Uh, Nate, you know that he won't be able to use that for a couple of years yet."

"Yeah, and we'll be well prepared by the time he can." Nathan said as he continued to throw stuff into the cart. Haley laughed.

NALEY

Finally, they made it home many hours later. Both were completely worn out.

After eating a quick supper, Haley decided to go get ready for bed.

What do you say, Mr. Scott. You wanna join me?"

"No thanks. I'm not really tired, and I really want to look at all of the basketball stuff we got."

Okay, well I'm going to go take a shower. Feel free to join me." She said seductively as she slowly walked down the hall.

Nathan was up in an instant. "I think that stuff can wait until tomorrow." He said as he caught up with Haley and picked her up bridal style.

Haley laughed as he practically sprinted into the bathroom.

Once their shower was done, they cuddled up to watch a movie. Nathan let Haley pick, and unfortunately for him, she picked Titanic. He knew that it would make her cry like it always did, but she insisted that they watch it anyways.

Sure enough, at the end of the movie, Haley had a steady stream of tears flowing down her face.

"See, I knew that we shouldn't have watched this." Nathan said as he pulled her closer to him. God, he hated it when she cried.

"Sorry, I just can't believe that Rose was so selfish."

"What are you talking about?"

"She should have moved over and let Jack up on the board with her. She let him die in the freezing water."

"Hales, Jack wouldn't have gotten up there anyway. He was protecting her."

"That was a stupid thing to do! She just watched him die!"

"Hales, I would have done the same for you. I would die to protect you." Nathan said sincerely.

Haley started to cry again. "Ugh, why do you have to be so damn sweet?" She laughed lightly.

Nathan chuckled. "Come on, baby. Let's go to bed."

Haley nodded and they crawled into bed. Their bodies immediately found each other, almost as if it were by reflex. They snuggled up to each other and instantly fell into a peaceful sleep.

**Sorry for the wait. Weekends are crazy, there is so much going on! I hope you liked the chapter! Please Review! It really helps me! And remember, suggestions and ideas are appreciated!**


	30. Chapter 29

Thanks for the reviews! You have no idea how much they mean to me! xoxo

Ch.29

Monday after school, Nathan and Haley headed straight to the doctors. It was time for another ultrasound of their boy.

Finally a nurse came to get them out of the waiting room and led them to a room.

"The doctor will be with you shortly."

"Thanks." Haley said.

As soon as the nurse shut the door, Nathan turned to Haley with a huge smile on his face.

"What's up with you?" Haley asked.

"I just can't believe that we're having a son! I guess it's just kind of hitting me now." He chuckled.

Haley laughed. "You're just realizing that we're having a son now? I always knew you were kind of slow, Nate, but come on! Even Tim has figured it out by now."

"Ha ha!" Nathan deadpanned. "No, seriously. Every time we get to see our boy, I can't help but think of how lucky I am. I love you Haley, and I already love our son."

Haley started to tear up. "We love you too, Nate. You're going to be a great dad!"

Before Nathan could respond, the doctor walked in. "Well, if it isn't my favorite patients. How are you two doing today?"

"We're good." Haley smiled at the doctor.

"I'm glad. So, no problems with the little one?"

"No. I haven't had morning sickness in over a month. I get quite a few backaches, but they aren't bad."

"Backaches are normal. Let me know if they get so bad that you find out you can't go on with your day to day routine, though."

Haley nodded.

"Okay, so are you two ready to see your son again?"

"Yes!" They both answered quickly.

"Okay, well here he is." The doctor said while moving the wand over Haley's stomach.

"Wow." Haley breathed out.

Nathan stared at the screen in awe.

"I assume that you want a couple of pictures."

"Yes, please!" Haley answered.

NALEY

After stopping by to update Dan and Deb and show them the picture, Nathan and Haley were finally home.

Haley went back to their bedroom while Nathan and Tim played a game of NBA Live.

One hour later, Tim was gone, and Nathan went to see what Haley was doing.

When he walked into their room, he saw Haley standing in front of the mirror staring at her round belly with tears in her eyes.

He quickly walked over and wrapped his arms around her waist. "What's wrong, Hales?"

"Do you still love me?" She asked quietly.

"What? Of course I do! Where is this coming from?"

"Come on, Nathan. You could have any girl you wanted and yet you're stuck with me."

"Haley, I love you! You are the only girl I want."

Haley nodded and turned away, but Nathan could tell that there was more bothering her.

He gently grabbed her wrist and turned her around to face him, silently asking her what was going on with his eyes.

"Do you think I'm fat?" She blurted out, tears stinging her eyes.

"Haley, I have never once thought that you were fat. You are carrying our child, and that is very, very sexy." He whispered as he kissed her neck.

Haley laughed slightly. "You're right. It's all your damn fault that I'm pregnant!"

"Now, baby, what did we learn in health class? It takes two to make a baby I'm pretty sure." He laughed again.

"Yeah, well maybe you took advantage of me while I was sleeping!"

"I'm pretty sure that you were all for it."

"Whatever."

"Now, are you going to tell me what else is bothering you or do I have to tickle it out of you?" He threatened.

"It's just that I'm really scared of how good of a mom I'll be. I know you are going to be a great dad, but I still doubt how good of a mother I'll be."

"Haley, we talked about this! You are going to be the best mother ever."

Haley went to speak, but Nathan cut her off.

"You are not going to be your mother. You never were. You are so kind and caring. You are nothing like your mom." Nathan said, pulling Haley in for a hug.

"Thank you." She whispered.

"For what?"

"Everything."

Nathan didn't answer. He just pulled Haley closer to him and kissed the top of her head. There was no doubt in his mind of how great of a mother Haley was going to be.

Please review. I know that not a lot happened, but the story is slowly coming to an end! Please stick with me though! More happiness and drama is coming! 


	31. Chapter 30

**Ch.30**

**Once again, thank you all for the reviews! I'm glad that you all seem to be enjoying the story! Since that last chapter was so short, I decided to make a longer one this time. This is my longest chapter! Haley is now 7 months pregnant. xoxo**

Nathan slowly woke up on Saturday morning. He was careful not to wake Haley up. He loved it in the mornings when he got to watch her sleep. She was so peaceful looking. It warmed Nathan's heart.

Five minutes later, Haley woke up. "Seriously, Nathan. Where did this fetish of watching me sleep come from?" She laughed.

"I can't help it, Hales. You're just so perfect." He smiled.

"Of course I am." Haley joked.

She then looked at the clock. It was about 9:00. "We better get going! We're meeting Brooke and Lucas outside their dorm at 11:30, and we all know how long it takes you to get ready, Scott."

"Very funny. I'm pretty sure it's you that takes so long to get ready."

Haley playfully stuck her tongue out at Nathan as she got off the bed.

"Oh, real mature, Hales." He was about to laugh, but it died in his throat when he took in his wife's appearance.

She had quickly gotten paler and she did not look good at all.

"Hales? Are you okay?"

Before Nathan could register what was happening, Haley collapsed. She would have hit the floor, but Nathan had quick reflexes from basketball and had caught her.

"Oh god! Hales! Haley! Baby! Haley!" He was in shock. Haley wasn't responding to him. He quickly pulled out his cell phone and dialed 911.

As he impatiently waited for them to get to the apartment, he contemplated just driving Haley to the emergency room himself. However, he knew that if he waited, they would be able to start working on her in the ambulance.

After what seemed like forever, they finally made it. Haley was immediately loaded into the ambulance when Nathan told them that she was pregnant. He didn't let go of her hand the whole way to the hospital.

Even though it wasn't his fault, he knew that he would blame himself if anything happened to Haley or the baby.

As Haley was wheeled off to be checked by the doctor, Nathan decided that he should probably call Brooke, Lucas, and his parent's.

Lucas didn't answer his cell phone, so Nathan had to call Brooke.

"Hello!" Her cheerful voice rang through the phone.

"Brooke, it's uh, Nathan."

Brooke's cheeriness instantly vanished when she heard Nathan's broken voice.

"What's wrong, Nate?"

"It's Haley. She collapsed." He said quietly. Brooke could tell that it was taking everything he had in him to not cry.

"We'll be there as soon as we can."

"Thanks, Brooke."

He was about to hang up, but Brooke stopped him.

"Nate?"

"Yeah?"

"She's going to be okay. She's going to fight for you. She always does."

"Thanks." He said again before he hung up.

Next was his parent's.

"Hello?" It was his dad.

"Dad? It's me. Can you and mom come to the hospital? It's Haley."

Dan's heart dropped. This couldn't be happening again. He had seen what happened to his son when he nearly lost Haley. He would never survive it if he lost his wife and son.

"We'll be right there son. What's happening to her?"

"I'm not sure. She was getting up to start getting ready and she just collapsed."

"Is she going to be okay? Is the baby okay?"

"I don't know." Nathan said, and with that, the tears began to flow down his face.

"We'll be there in ten minutes, Nathan."

They hung up. Nathan sat down in a chair, buried his head in his hands, and cried. He felt like his whole world was falling apart. Haley and the baby had to be okay. They just had to.

Ten minutes later, Deb and Dan rushed in. Deb had been crying, but she knew that she had to stay strong for Nathan. She walked over to him and put a comforting arm around him.

"Nate? Honey, have you heard anything?"

Nathan didn't even lift his head; he just shook his head no and continued to cry.

"It's going to be okay, sweetie. Haley's strong."

After twenty more minutes of waiting, the doctor finally came out.

"Is anyone here for Haley Scott?"

Nathan immediately got up. "I'm her husband. Is she okay? How is the baby?"

The doctor noticed Nathan's red puffy eyes and felt sorry for him. "Well, we don't know for sure yet what's happening, but we need you to sign consent forms so that we can do some tests and figure out what caused this."

"Are there any big risks?" Nathan had to know before he agreed to sign anything.

"No. These are just basic tests."

Nathan quickly signed the papers. "How long will these take?"

"A few hours. I'll let you know as soon as we are done."

Nathan nodded his head and went back to sit down.

"How is she, son?" Dan asked.

"He didn't tell me anything. I just had to sign consent forms so they could run some tests on her.

Forty minutes later, Lucas walked in comforting Brooke, who was trying to hold herself together for Nathan, but looked like she was going to fall apart at any second. Haley had been her best friend for years. Although there was a slight age difference, they had known each other since they were kids and were very close. They had been with each other for the good and bad times, and they always brought the two closer and closer together.

"How is she, Nate?" Lucas asked.

"Not sure. The doctor is going to let me know once they are done running tests on her."

After a few more minutes, Nathan realized that with everything happening so quickly, he had forgotten to call Peyton. She was one of Haley's really good friends. She would want to be there.

Nathan grabbed his phone out of his pocket and quickly dialed Peyton's cell.

"Hey, loser. What's up?"

"Uh, Peyt, can you come up to the hospital? It's Haley." Nathan said for what felt like the thousandth time that morning.

"I'll be right there." She said quickly.

Peyton ran in five minutes later.

Nathan stared at her, silently asking how she had gotten there so fast.

"What? I wasn't that far away."

Nathan gave her a look, not believing her.

"Fine! I might have broken a few laws and gone about ten miles over the limit." She admitted as she pulled Nathan in for a hug.

"It's going to be okay, buddy!"

Nathan knew that everyone was just trying to help, but he wished that they would stop saying that. He wasn't going to believe anything until the doctor himself cam out and told him that there was nothing to worry about.

Finally, an hour later, the doctor finally returned. "Mr. Scott?"

"Yes?"

"The tests show that the collapse was caused by stress."

"Okay. Is Haley going to be okay?"

"Yes, Haley and your baby should be okay, but just to make sure of it, I am putting Haley on bed rest for these last two months of her pregnancy, and you should try to keep her as calm as possible. Any more stress could cause her to have a miscarriage."

"Whatever I need to do to keep them safe, I'll do it." Nathan said honestly, relieved that his wife and child were going to be okay.

"Well than I just need you to sign these forms and promise me that you will keep Haley in bed."

"Don't worry; she will stay in bed no matter what I have to do to keep her there." Nathan chuckled. He knew that it would be a struggle. Although she wasn't big on sports, Haley hated to be confined in one place for too long, especially a bed. "And I'll make sure that nothing stresses her out." He added.

"I trust you, son. I can see how much you love this girl. I know you'll protect her. I have faith in you!" The doctor said before walking away.

Soon, a nurse brought Haley out in a wheelchair. Nathan started to laugh when he heard her trying to get out of having to stay in bed.

"So, what happens if I accidently get out of bed and go to school or something?" Haley feigned innocence, batting her eyelashes.

"That's not going to happen." Nathan said before the nurse could reply. "I've been scared enough to last me a lifetime, Hales. You are staying in that bed."

"But Nate!" She whined. "I'm going to be so bored!"

"No you're not! I'll be there to entertain you! I'll even bring all of your school work home with me and you can do it all in bed!" Nathan said smiling.

Realizing that she was going to lose the fight, Haley gave up and crossed her arms across her chest. Nathan laughed and wheeled her into the waiting room.

She was instantly attacked. Everyone crowded her and started to hug her.

"Whoa! Did you all miss me in those few hours I was gone?"

"Don't joke about this, Haley Scott! We could have lost you! I don't know what I would do without you!" Brooke said as tears freely fell from her eyes.

"Do you people not have any faith in me? You're not getting rid of me that easily." Haley said.

After another five minutes of everyone crowding her, they finally headed home.

Nathan made Haley get into bed right away. She was not happy.

Nathan found her pout adorable though.

"This sucks! I'm not going to get to go to my last months of school, and I'm going to miss graduation. You get to go off to school and have fun while I'm stuck in this stupid bed!" Haley complained.

"Hales, trust me. You are the only one referring to school as fun." Haley rolled her eyes. "Besides, I would kill to be able to spend the next two months in bed."

"I'm sure you would." Haley said as she rolled over to go to sleep.

Nathan just laughed and kissed her head before falling asleep, happy to put this long day behind him.

**So, how was chapter 30?? Please let me know! There are about two or three chapters left. Hopefully you are all sticking with me!**


	32. Chapter 31

**Ch.31**

**Thanks for the reviews! You have no idea how happy it makes me to see that you guys are still reading my story! :) In this chapter Haley is just starting her 8th month! Enjoy! xoxo**

"Nathan!" Haley called.

Nathan was beside her on the bed five seconds later. Haley laughed at how concerned he was. He was so cute when he got like this.

"What's wrong, baby? What do you need?" He asked quickly.

"Nathan, I'm so bored!" She complained.

Nathan stifled a laugh. He heard the same thing at least three times a day. After the first few times, he learned that laughing was definitely not a good way to answer. With those hormones, you never knew how she would react.

"Hales, we already went over this. Besides, there's only a month left! You can do it! When has Haley Scott ever given up?"

"Well normally I don't give up, but there's a first time for everything! Come on, a quick walk around the block won't kill me!"

"No." Nathan said firmly. "There is no way I am letting you go for a walk! Hales, I can't stand the thought of losing you. Please just stay in the bed."

"Fine!" Haley said.

Suddenly, Nathan had an idea. "You wanna come watch a movie or something with me, Hales? You're choice."

"Really?" Haley was getting excited. That went away quickly. "I thought that I wasn't allowed out of the bed, though." She looked up at him.

"No, I said that you couldn't get up and walk." With that, Nathan picked Haley up bridal style and carried her to the living room.

"Nate, you're going to hurt yourself."

Please!" Nathan scoffed. He set Haley down and flexed his muscles.

"Fine, but still." Haley laughed.

"So, what do you wanna watch?" Nathan asked as he got up.

"How about A Walk to Remember!"

Nathan groaned. "Again? Remind me why I let you pick the movie."

"Yes again! And because you love me of course."

"I'm not watching it if you are going to go on and on about how hot Shane West is like Brooke does!" Nathan warned.

"Fine, I won't." She agreed.

Nathan popped the movie in the DVD player and went to sit down.

"Although he is pretty fine!" Hale said, laughing.

"Seriously?" Nathan asked.

Haley noticed the look on his face and immediately responded. "Aww, are you jealous, babe."

"No." Nathan said bluntly.

"I think you are, and that is very sexy." Haley flirted and leaned over to kiss Nathan.

He quickly responded and deepened the kiss.

When the kiss ended, Haley spoke. "Don't worry hotshot. Shane West has nothing on you."

Nathan smirked cockily and Haley went back to watching the movie.

NALEY

When the movie ended, Haley turned to Nathan.

"If I died would you be able to move on and find someone else?" She asked him.

"What? No! Hales, you are my life. If you died, I would die too!"

Haley felt tears welling up in her eyes. _Damn hormones._ "That's sweet, Nathan. I couldn't live without you either."

Nathan smiled and pulled Haley to him for a hug.

NALEY

That night, as they lay in bed, Haley couldn't sleep. Her stomach was starting to hurt. It had never hurt this bad before. She considered waking Nathan up, but she didn't want to worry him. It was probably nothing serious anyways.

One hour later, it was still hurting. All of the sudden, her water broke and she started to have her first contraction. Okay, time to wake up Nathan.

"Nathan?" She said.

All she got in response was a moan.

"Nathan, my water broke." She said as she nudged him.

He sat straight up. "What? But it's supposed to be another month!"

"Yeah, well, it's coming now!"

Nathan quickly sprung into action. He jumped up, threw on some jeans and a shirt, grabbed Haley's bag she had packed a week ago, and grabbed Haley.

They made it outside and to the car in record time.

NALEY

Once they made it to the hospital room, Nathan called everyone.

He walked back into the room to see Haley panting in pain. He rushed to her side and rubbed soothing circles on her back.

"Just breathe, Hales. Breath baby." He honestly had no idea what to do. He was in high school for god sakes. What did he know about giving birth?

"I hate you, Nathan!"

Nathan smirked. "Nah, you know you love me!"

"Are you trying to be cute?"

"No, just stating the truth." He said cockily.

"Fine, you're right, but I really don't like you right now."

Nathan laughed.

Soon after, the doctor walked in.

"How are you two doing?"

"Oh I'm doing just great!" Haley said sarcastically while glaring at him.

Three hours later, Haley was finally headed to the delivery room.

Brooke, Lucas, Peyton, Deb, and Dan all waved as she was wheeled away.

NALEY

"Okay, Haley come on! Keep pushing!" The doctor encouraged.

"Nathan?"

"What?"

"When this is over we are never having sex again!" Haley screamed in pain.

"Hales…" He tried.

"Don't worry, they all say that." The doctor smiled at Nathan.

Ten minutes later, Haley was still pushing, but she was getting tired and weak.

"I can't push anymore, Nathan." She cried.

Nathan's heart broke hearing her sad voice.

"You can do it, Hales. One more push. Let's meet our boy." Nathan said encouragingly.

Haley screamed and pushed one final time.

"Congratulations. You have a son." The doctor said.

Nathan looked up and saw the baby completely covered in blood. Was that normal?

He got his answer when Haley's heart monitor machine hit zero.

The doctor quickly handed the screaming baby to a nurse.

"She's flat lining!" He yelled.

A nurse came and lightly pushed Nathan out of the room.

"No, I have to stay." Nathan kept yelling.

The nurse had to have Dan and Lucas come over and hold Nathan down. He just kept flailing his arms, trying to get to Haley. "I can't lose her again! I have to stay with her! I promised I would protect her!"

Everyone was crying. Brooke was hysterical.

Finally, they heard the steady beeping of the machine. It was like music to their ears.

The doctor came back out. "Mr. Scott?"

Nathan looked up at him expectantly.

"Your wife is going to be okay!" He smiled.

Nathan let out a sigh of relief.

"Would you like to hold your son?" A nurse asked.

Nathan nodded, and the nurse handed the tiny baby over.

"So, does he have a name?" They all questioned gently.

Nathan smiled. "Yeah. Everyone, I'd like you to meet James Lucas Scott."

**The End.**

**Thank you all for reading! You guys rock! I have an epilogue if you want to read it! Just let me know if you think I should post it! Thank you all so much!**


	33. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

**Well, here it is! Thank you all for the reviews. Special thanks to all of you who have stuck with me since the beginning! You guys are amazing! xoxo**

It had been one month since James Lucas Scott was born. Nathan and Haley had never been happier. It wasn't always easy taking care of their new baby, but they wouldn't trade their lives for anything.

Graduation was the next day, and Haley was flipping out. She had made up all of her work from when she was on bed rest, and it was no surprise to her friends that she was chosen valedictorian. She had been busy working on her speech for two weeks.

"Hey, Hales, you ready for bed?" Nathan asked as he walked into the kitchen where she was vigorously scribbling on a piece of paper.

Two minutes later, Haley triumphantly held up the piece of paper. "I finished!"

"That's great." Nathan said sincerely.

"Oh god, what if everyone hates it? What if I just think it sounds okay because I am so sleep deprived? What if"

Nathan cut her off by kissing her square on the lips. "Everyone will love it, Hales. I promise." He smiled. "Now, what do you say we go put Jamie to bed?"

Haley nodded. "Thank you."

They headed out to the living room where Deb was talking in a baby voice to Jamie.

"Hey mom. We're going to take Jamie to bed. Think you can part from him for the night?" Nathan asked jokingly. Deb had been at the house every day, helping them with whatever they needed. She knew how hard being a new parent right out of high school was. She wanted to make it easier on them.

Deb reluctantly handed the baby over to Haley, and they took him upstairs.

Haley carefully placed him in the basketball decorated crib that Nathan had insisted they needed.

"Good night, baby James. We love you." Haley whispered as she gently rubbed his head.

Nathan leaned down and kissed Jamie's head. "Night buddy. Love you."

Once they were sure that he was asleep for the moment, they quietly tiptoed out of his room and into their room.

When they got into bed, Haley immediately curled up into Nathan's side.

"I love you, Hales." Nathan said before he drifted off to sleep.

"I love you too, Nate." She said as she fell asleep.

NALEY

Graduation went smoothly. However, Haley was nervous. The moment of truth was here. All of the diplomas had been handed out. The only thing left was for Haley to give her speech.

Then, she heard Principal Turner. "I now present to you, this years valedictorian, Haley James Scott."

The class went wild. Everyone was clapping and cheering. However, the only one's Haley could see were her friends and family. First, she looked back into the crowd and saw her family. Her parents weren't there, but that didn't surprise her. Besides, she didn't even really consider them family anymore. Her real family was in the crowd. She saw Deb and Dan, her parents. Maybe not literally, but they were the ones that had influenced her life and given her advice when she needed it. She also saw Lucas, the boy who had been like a brother to her since she was about five. He truly was one of her best friends. She also saw Brooke Scott, the best girl friend anyone could ask for. Without Brooke, Haley was sure she wouldn't have made it this far in life. Jamie was in Brooke's arms. Haley couldn't help but smile.

Then, she scanned the graduates quickly. She spotted Peyton who was clapping loudly and cheering for her. Although they had only known each other for a year, they were very close. Peyton was a great friend. Finally, Haley spotted the love of her life, her lifeline, her best friend. Nathan was in the middle of all the graduates. He had the biggest smile on his face and was cheering Haley on. She made it to the podium and Nathan winked at her.

"Well, Class of 2008, it's been quite a year. I want to take the time to tell you what an honor this is to me. I would like to start off by thanking Deb and Dan Scott for being the parents I never had. Lucas and Brooke Scott, what can I say about you two? You have been two of my best friends since Nathan and I met. You two have always been there for me without fail. Without you two, I would never be where I am now. Peyton Sawyer, you are one of my best friends, and I am so glad that I got to know you." Haley noticed that Deb, Brooke, and Peyton were crying, even Dan looked like he had a tear in his eye. "I also want to thank Nathan. You have been my rock since we were three. I can't imagine my life without you in. I am going to love you until the end of time." Nathan was staying strong, but Haley could see that her words meant the world to him.

Haley took a deep breath. "Graduates, today is our day. Most of us have been together for four years now. I don't know about you, but they were some of the greatest days of my life. Now, we are off again, and our futures are unknown. After a year of being on the top, we have to start all over again. I'll be the first to admit it. I'm scared. I'm scared for college, I'm scared for what's to come after that, and I'm scared for life. I realized something though. We're all afraid. We need to overcome this fear though, and live for the present. If we don't, we risk the chance of missing out on some pretty great things. Friendship, opportunity, love. It's alright to fail. It's how we handle that failure that matters. I'd like to leave you with this quote: 'Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create that fact.'" After a deep breath, Haley continued. "Congratulations class of 2008. We did it!" Haley squealed.

Everyone started cheering and the graduates all threw their hats in the air. Haley ran off of the stage and jumped into Nathan's arms. He easily caught her and they shared a passionate kiss.

"Congratulations, Hales. I love you."

"You too." Haley said sincerely.

They continued to hug and kiss, and for a moment, it was like they were the only two people in the world.

**There it is! So, how many of you caught my Legally Blonde reference in there?? I hope you like it! And, once again, thank you!! ;)**


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